Singaporeans plan to travel as much, if not more, in 2024; flight cost top of mind: survey
Derryn Wong
MOST Singaporean travellers intend to take at least as many trips in 2024 as they did in 2023 – if not more, according to a survey by travel agency and search engine Skyscanner.
Out of 1,000 respondents in Singapore, 87 per cent planned to do so, higher than the global average of 81 per cent.
In the survey, 48 per cent of Singapore respondents also said “the cost of flights mostly determines their choice of destination”, with this being the top cost factor for them.
Hotel prices were the second-most important factor, chosen by 14 per cent of Singapore respondents.
At the same time, 47 per cent said they have budgeted more for travel in 2024, with only 10 per cent budgeting less.
Unsurprisingly, interest in travelling to Japan shot up in 2023, after the country dropped Covid-19 restrictions for leisure tourists in October 2022.
Four of the top five destinations for Singapore travellers – based on the year-on-year increase in Skyscanner searches – were in Japan: Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Nagoya. In third place was Taipei.
In order of importance, travellers from Singapore ranked food, attractions and the weather as most important in affecting their choice of holiday destination, while shopping, local food, and historical tours were the most popular activities.
Travellers are also keen to go abroad for specific experiences – 46 per cent of Singapore respondents said that they would fly short-haul to see their favourite artist perform, while 30 per cent have travelled to a destination to eat at a specific restaurant.
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