The National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) opened its travel fair this morning at the Singapore Expo with expectations of a strong visitor crowd that would mirror the robust demand for travel seen throughout 2023.
Speaking at the NATAS Travel 2024 opening ceremony, Simon Er, deputy president of NATAS, said demand for travel is still “robust, strong and ongoing” and “hopes for visitor numbers to top 102,000”.
Interest in courting Singapore residents this year is much stronger, evident by an expanded Travel Fair 2024 featuring 66 exhibitors compared to 51 in the February 2023 fair. The range of sellers include travel agencies, national tourism organisations, and other players in the industry.
Guest-of-Honour gracing the opening ceremony was Melissa Ow, chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board (STB), who spoke about Singapore’s tourism recovery and continued attractiveness as a destination with business and leisure offerings. She also acknowledged the increased demand for authentic experiences and is also optimistic that outbound travel remains healthy.
When asked for projected transaction value by the time the fair ends on Sunday, Er said such information would not be available.
Appetite for package tours continues to remain strong in 2024 among all types of travellers, from multi-generational families to couples, according to travel agencies that TTG Asia spoke to at the fair.
They also predict destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Europe to remain perennial favourites of Singapore residents. However, demand for destinations farther afield will also pick up, especially for Norway and Finland to catch the Northern Lights, due to reports that the phenomenon will be at its strongest this year
“Travellers are also looking for more experiential and in-depth tours”, said Diana Tan, head of department (HR & public relations), CTC Travel.
She observed a stronger desire for new sights. “People want to start exploring places they’ve never been to before to get a different experience,” she said.
Younger travellers, for instance, have made enquiries and bookings to places such as Antarctica. There has also been more demand for Xinjiang and Silk Road tours, Nepal, Egypt and Morocco, as well as requests for English-speaking guides.
Similarly, Jeremiah Wong, senior marketing communications manager, Chan Brothers Travel, noted an increase in more off-the-beaten-path destinations.
He expects bookings for the company’s Bhutan packages, which were popular in 2023, to gain more traction as they now include a chartered direct flight to the country. There has also been a healthy increase in interest to places such as Mongolia and Uzbekistan – also because of chartered flights.
Both Tan and Wong also noted that travellers were making their travel plans earlier than usual.
Wong has seen bookings made more than six months in advance especially for seasonal travel during popular periods, such as the cherry blossom season. High airfares post-Covid have also motivated people to confirm their travel plans earlier.
Among his customers, Wong noted strong demand for all types of package tours, from the fully planned ones to self-drive packages among multi-generational families, and has also observed more single travellers making bookings.
He added that even travellers who used to travel free and easy have converted to package tours as they appreciate the convenience.
