Skyscanner has released its APAC Travel Trends Report for 2020, and data shows that Singaporeans are indulging in travel more than ever. Going on micro vacations, preferring slow travel, choosing off-the-beaten-track destinations and paying extra for small luxuries are Singaporeans’ top travel trends for the coming year.
For the report, the online travel company used its proprietary technology to analyse billions of data points as well as the booking habits and preferences of Asia-Pacific (APAC) travellers who used their site.
In terms of Singaporean travellers, the report highlighted key travel trends that are sure to carry over and grow in 2020.
Slow travel
The slow travel trend isn’t unique to Singaporean travellers, with more people all over the world choosing to spend their travel time in a much more leisurely fashion. Once a popular trend, fast-paced travelling and trying to visit as many places in as short a time as possible has been shunted aside in favour of slow, relaxing trips.
According to the report, there was a 20 percent increase in slow travel preferences from the previous year. Slow travel was listed as the Top Travel Trend for 2020 with almost 19 percent of Singaporeans electing to travel slower in the coming year.
Seeking peace and quiet away from their hectic lives, more Singaporeans are escaping to quaint, idyllic destinations where a much slower pace of life can be found.
A study by tech company Kisi on Cities with the Best Work-Life Balance 2019 found that Singapore is the second most overworked city in the world, after Tokyo. To get away from the stresses of work and life, Singaporean travellers have been going to exotic destinations for their slow travels, including Budapest (Hungary), Takamatsu (Japan), Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Saipan (the Northern Mariana Islands).
Micro-cations
Besides opting for slow travel to recuperate from overwork, Singaporeans are also blowing off steam by going on plenty of micro escapes or micro-cations, identified by the report as short holidays with an average length of stay ranging from three to seven days.
It may not always be possible to take a long, slow vacation, but Singaporeans are finding ways to fit micro-cations into their busy schedules without having to sacrifice time at work or with family. According to the report, one out of five Singaporeans went on a Micro Escapes trip in 2019.
For micro escapes, Singaporean travellers prefer to keep travel times short and sweet, favouring nearby Asian destinations such as Bangkok (Thailand), Manila (Philippines), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Seoul (Korea), and Taipei (Taiwan)—the top five most popular travel destinations for Singaporeans in 2019.
Unfrequented destinations
The report identified another interesting travel trend for Singaporeans—choosing destinations that are far less popular than the usual favourites.
Data from Singaporean travellers show a growing interest in unfrequented and even remote destinations. Trivandrum, an off-the-radar yet interesting cultural hub in India, saw year-on-year growth in bookings of 61 percent. Another remote destination cited by the report was Kunming (Yunnan), which entices travellers with its quiet and majestic landscapes—rice terraces, snow-capped mountains and lakes. Yunnan saw a year-on-year growth of 42 percent in bookings.
Extra luxuries
More Singaporeans are choosing to indulge in extra luxuries while travelling. It’s all about the comfort, and Singaporean travellers are not afraid to shell out a little more to travel with ease and relaxation.
In 2019, there was an increase in bookings for premium economy (by 50 percent) and business class flights (by 18 percent) by Singaporean travellers. The report noted that an overall decrease in both premium economy and business class fares by 9 and 5 percent, respectively, may have contributed to the increased bookings for more comfortable seats.
/TISG