SINGAPORE: Singapore has taken its place again among top destinations worldwide—this time for favoured holiday places among the retired set, people aged 60 and older.
Importantly, Singapore is the only city in Asia in the top 10 global destinations for a holiday during retirement.
New research from travel, holiday, and home insurance company payingtoomuch.com shows that Australian cities Melbourne and Sydney took the top two spots for the best destinations for those in their 60s to travel to this year.
Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Berlin (Germany), and Aukland (New Zealand) took third to fifth places, respectively.
Brisbane (Australia) took sixth place, followed by Helsinki (Finland) seventh, Oslo (Norway) eighth, and Munich (Germany) ninth, with Singapore (Singapore) taking tenth place.
“With the ‘Golden Gap Year’ trending in 2024, there has been a surge in the number of over 60s travelling abroad.
With an increase in retirement travel and so many cities to visit, which one is the best for over 60s to visit?” the company said, looking at 45 global cities to determine the answer.
The cities were evaluated according to the number of hotels rated three stars and above, hotel costs, tour availability, healthcare quality, the number of activities, and walking routes.
Top-ranked Melbourne has a whopping 1,389 three-star hotels, with rates starting at £860 (S$1,459) per week, which the company considers affordable. Melbourne also boasts 1,838 tourist spots and offers 40 off-peak tours just for the older set.
Singapore, meanwhile, has 301 hotels rated three stars and above. However, these cost an average of £1518 (S$2,575) per week.
While this is considerably more expensive than in Melbourne, it costs less than hotels in Amsterdam £2,986 (S$5,064), Munich £2,396 (S$4,064), and Berlin £1,924 (S$3,263).
For such a small country, Singapore received a good score for the number of things to do (825) and the number of walking routes (184). As for healthcare quality, Singapore (70.4) scored even higher than Melbourne (69.1).
payingtoomuch.com also offered the following tips for retirees who are looking to take a holiday this year:
1. Plan carefully before your trip. The Internet makes research easy for everyone, so planning your trip should be no problem.
It’s highly advisable to check on the climate and weather, transport options, maps, etc., as part of your preparations for your holiday. “Packing” mentally is just as important as packing your suitcases.
2. Travel insurance is important, not just because of health benefits but in this day and age of flight delays, cancellations, and missing luggage, you’ll appreciate the extra layer of protection.
3. Go during off-peak times to avoid crowds. When you avoid crowds, you also avoid sickness, high prices, and stress, making it a win-win-win situation. /TISG
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