The June school holidays are upon us; how many of us will be travelling, and where to?
One popular destination this year appears to be China, according to several tour agencies here.
Tours to China have seen a sharp spike in demand this year, with tours fully booked since more than two months ago, reported Shin Min Daily News on Monday (May 20).
One agency even reported a five-fold increase in bookings for the mid-year school holidays, compared to the same period last year.
Chan Brothers’ senior marketing communications manager Huang Zhengping (transliteration) told Shin Min that other than sales quintupling, some customers had begun booking their travels a year in advance.
He added that tours for the first two weeks of June are currently fully booked, with some slots available for the last two weeks.
Popular last-minute travel options include Bhutan, Mongolia and Australia, he added.
Shared Zhengping: “China is still the most popular destination this year. Its reopening in March last year and the announcement in July that Singapore citizens could travel there visa-free have greatly boosted Singaporeans’ interest in travelling to China.”
Chief executive of ASA Holidays, Albert See, echoed those statements, stating that sales at his agency have doubled from last year. He added that popular destinations in China include Hunan, Yunnan, Shantou and Fujian.
“China is very big with many places to explore. In addition, with its accelerated rate of development, many are keen to visit,” said Albert.
He stated that the company has had to hire more workers to meet the increased demand, with one tour guide leading about 30 tourists.
Some agencies shared that Singaporeans are also wanting to escape the country to cooler climes, given the current hot and humid weather here.
Super Travels’ vice president and marketing director Huang Haixiao (transliteration) told Shin Min that other popular destinations this June also include Japan and Korea and parts of Australasia.
“Australia and New Zealand are entering the winter season and are always popular destinations for those looking to escape the summer heat.
“We have seen many Singaporeans choosing to go China this year, however, with 20 per cent of tours booked up since last year,” he said. He added that higher-altitude attractions such as the ‘Avatar mountains’ in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, as well as the Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan have also garnered interest because of the cooler weather where one might still be able to see snow.
Asian destinations top Singaporeans’ flight searches: Survey
It may not be surprising then that a survey by travel booking site Booking.com found a 35 per cent increase in the number of flight searches on the site by Singaporean families for the June holidays.
In addition, Asian destinations topped Singaporeans’ flight searches from January to March this year for the period, according to data from Booking.com’s Singapore Families’ Travel Trends for 2024.
China, however, was not on the list of its trending destinations (based on flight searches on the site).
Instead, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand proved most popular. The biggest increase was for fifth-placed Germany, which saw interest for flights almost double from last year.
In its list of trending destinations based on accommodation searches, however, Shanghai ranked fifth and Beijing a close sixth.
Data provided by Booking.com also showed that ‘value for money experiences’ came in first at 55 per cent in a list of motivators for Singapore families’ travel plans. Other top motivators included ‘spending quality time abroad’ and ‘discovering new places’.
As if more proof is needed on how artificial intelligence (AI) is overtaking our lives, two-thirds of families surveyed expressed that they will be using AI tools as part of their travel planning for the year.
ALSO READ: 5 budget travel tips to save money on your next holiday
candicecai@asiaone.com
