According to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study 2015, travellers from Singapore take more leisure holidays than their global peers and travel more with family. Singaporeans love travelling, with recurrent travel for leisure becoming part of the culture. On top of that, Singapore is centrally positioned and is also a global aviation hub, which makes it easy for them to travel to all parts of the world.
Based on the study, the top three destinations for Singapore travellers over the last several years were Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Thailand. For Singapore’s wealthy travellers, Hong Kong is the top travel destination, closely followed by Australia and Japan. First-time travellers preferred Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia for their travel destinations. In any case, a comprehensive Singaporean travel insurance is a must for first-timers.
So, what other places do Singaporeans take their travel light feet? Here are other five of Singaporean’s favourite travel experiences.
Niseko (for the snow and winter activities). If you have friends working at Raffles Place, you’ve probably already been coaxed on a ski trip to Niseko. Singaporeans mostly feel oppressed by the unbelievably hot and humid weather, so ski trips are their favourite way to enjoy cold weather while doing different winter sport that’s easy to pick up.
The ski resorts at Niseko are especially expensive, and between paying for accommodation, lessons, which is necessary if you’re a first-timer or else you’ll end up hurt), food and gear rental, you may need to shell a bit more dollars per day. That’s the price to pay if you don’t want to have to pick Snow City.
Woodbury, Manhattan (for the shopping). Although Woodbury Common Premium Outlet is an hour from Manhattan and requires a tourist to spend 30 to 40 USD in bus fare, Singaporean guests to the East Coast of the United States will always take advantage of the deeply discounted designer goods.
You can get a $10 Kate Spade wristlets and $100 Prada bags – all genuine. Expect to commit an entire day of your trip to going around and shopping there. But no Singaporean will ever complain about “wasting” their holiday time shopping.
London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong (for Micheline star restaurant hunting). Foodies who love travelling often dream of eating at Michelin-starred restaurants, even researching all the Michelin selections in cities they visit. London, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong are all favourite destinations of Michelin star hunters.
Take note that receiving a Michelin star promptly hikes up the cost of a meal at the restaurant. Locals in France, where the Michelin rating was invented, say there are throngs of restaurants at Michelin standard, but because they haven’t been bestowed the stars are much more inexpensive than those on the list. You can drive there if you have International drivers license for France.
Bali or Phuket (for 5-star resorts). A Singaporean will not say no to a bit of extravagance. And Bali and Phuket are two of the most regarded destinations to coddle in a stay at a five-star resort, with private pool, rustic-style open air bathroom and a picture frame-worthy interior.
A ritzy resort stay can cost as much as a five-star staycation in Singapore. However, bargain-savvy Singaporeans can go to resorts for about 200 to 300 SGD, which can still knock your socks off.
End Note
Through it, all, don’t forget to get yourself a comprehensive travel insurance that will protect you from the most common travel mishaps that you might encounter pre and during your international travels. You’re spending quite a bit for the travels, why not on your safety as well.
Enjoy!