Langkawi tourism and hospitality operators are observing good demand for five-star and boutique hotels as well as more high-end tours and activities, since the reopening of the Malaysian island last week to fully vaccinated domestic tourists under the pioneer travel bubble project.
Mega Water Sports & Holidays director of sales and marketing, Sharmini Violet, said: “Our clients come for weekend getaways and they are willing to spend on upmarket activities such as chartering a whole yacht and going on private tours, or enjoying our jet ski tours or sunset cruises.”
She added that the majority of her clients come from the Klang Valley and have chosen the convenience of flights over road trips to Langkawi.
Sharmini further shared that many five-star hotels on the island destination are seeing high occupancy rates, driven by attractive promotional offers.
Another operator, Sri Sari, director at Junglewalla Langkawi, shared that the agency’s nature-based kayaking and Geopark tour packages are doing well with the locals, whereas the expatriate market tend to go for birdwatching tours, nature walks and tours to spot nocturnal wildlife.
She also shared that locals tend to book on weekends, whereas the expatriate market are willing to stay for longer and work remotely.
Amran Ahmed, co-founder of Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat and Ambong Pool Villas, shared that the pool villa accommodations in both of his properties are recording an average occupancy of 70 per cent, mainly comprising couples from the Klang Valley.
He said: “People are choosing to stay with us because of the boutique and personalised experiences we offer. Many choose to stay in, order room service and enjoy the villas. We are also seeing a number of people working remotely from their villas.”
With international travel largely on hold, staycation demand in Singapore remains unwavering, with 86 per cent of Singaporeans planning to book at least one local trip in the next two months, found a new Tripadvisor study.
According to Tripadvisor’s Seasonal Travel Index for Fall, the vast majority (87 per cent) of travel intent in the Asia-Pacific region remains domestic.
A third of Singaporeans (33 per cent) are planning at least two domestic trips this fall and more than one in ten (12 per cent) are planning on taking three or more domestic trips.
This revenge travel mindset is also evident in the spending habits of Singaporeans this fall as around one in three (35 per cent) plan to spend more on their biggest trip than they did on their biggest trip during the same period pre-pandemic in 2019. Gen Z Singaporeans are most likely to spend more, with nearly half (46 per cent) saying that they will do so.
The study also found that while single-night staycations were all the rage at the start of the pandemic, with prolonged lockdowns and work-from-home, a growing number of Singaporeans are seeking longer getaways.
Around one in seven (13 per cent) of Singaporean travellers indicated their plans for a one-night stay, compared with the 59 per cent that are looking for a longer two- to five-day stay.
In the age of Covid-19, cleanliness remains a top priority for travellers. When it comes to hotels, Singaporean travellers are searching most for clean and modern hotels, with family and mid-range hotels proving the most popular hotel types in Singapore.
The study also revealed that Singaporeans are spending S$487 (US$360) on average on their fall trip. When it comes to planning international travel, city trips are top of the list for Singaporeans, with the most popular destinations being New York City, London, Hong Kong and Dubai.