Search for outbound flights from SG double ahead of new travel measures

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Searches for outbound flights in Singapore have doubled in the last three days leading up to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's announcement this morning on the new Vaccinated Travel Framework. With effect from 1 April, countries will no longer be classified under the different tiers of Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs). Countries will now be classified under "general travel" or the "restricted" category. As of now, there are no countries listed under the "restricted" category.

In addition to outbound flight searches doubling on Expedia.com.sg, destinations such as Stockholm (+270%), Perth (+50%) and Zurich (+50%) saw significant growth in demand, making up the top trending destinations among Singapore travellers in the last seven days. Additionally, with the relaxation of border measures such as the removal of on-arrival testing and the application of the Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) for general inbound travel to Singapore, Expedia said it expects inbound travel demand to rise, with the US, the UK and Australia remaining as the top three inbound markets quarter on quarter on its website.

Lavinia Rajaram, Asia head of public relations, Expedia Group said that the government's decision to ease travel-related measures for both inbound and outbound travellers spells positive news for the travel and tourism sector, citing significant growth in demand for international travel in the establishment of VTLs a few months ago.

"The removal of on-arrival testing, application of the VTP and the VTL flight requirements are impactful milestones that will improve the traveller experience and instil confidence among our travellers. We believe that travel deprived Singaporeans will be excited at the prospect of travelling freely the way they did pre-COVID times, and Expedia looks forward to playing a key role in supporting the travellers’ needs at every phase of their travel journey,” she added. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Expedia for comment.

Last year, a separate study by Expedia found that half of Singaporeans were still feeling stressed about the thought of booking international trips. Although many locals are looking forward to the idea of travelling again, 71% have been overwhelmed by planning their next trip, they have put off hitting “book” at least once and estimate that they need over nine hours to plan a trip.

Meanwhile, Expedia’s 2021 Vacation Deprivation Study released recently found that 69% of Singaporeans feel vacation-deprived, down from 71% in 2020. More than four in five of working adults said they felt burnt out in 2021 and the pandemic stress situation was even more severe among respondents holding first responder roles, with 90% identifying with feelings of burnoutd in the past year.

When asked about their vacation and travel plans for 2022, only one in four (24%) Singaporeans said that they have booked their vacation days, while over half (51%) said they plan to make their travel plans in the later part of the year.

Hours after the new Vaccinated Travel Framework was announced, Singapore and Malaysia agreed just today to reopen land borders between Singapore and Malaysia for fully vaccinated travellers from 1 April. In addition to the designated vaccinated travel bus services, fully vaccinated travellers may cross the borders, i.e. Causeway and Second Link, via private vehicles, such as cars and motorcycles. Singapore and Malaysia are also progressively restoring other modes of transport, including cross-border public bus services.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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