SINGAPOREANS are the world's No. 1 travellers in terms of population size and the number of trips they make, beating even the well-travelled Americans and Japanese, says the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore chief executive officer Robert Khoo.
Singaporeans made six million outbound trips last year, excluding their sojourns in neighbouring Malaysia. This works out to 1.3 trips per person for a population of 4.6 million.
No wonder well-travelled Singaporeans are becoming more discerning about where they go, what they do and how they do it. They tend to travel to more exotic places in the Mediterranean, Indochina, South Africa and India, says Ms Jane Chang, marketing communications executive of Chan Brothers Travel.
"Singaporeans, being a travel savvy, inquisitive and adventurous lot, are piqued to explore these less covered destinations," she says.
According to Ms Ruth Lim, marketing and communications manager for SA Tours, there are two emerging groups of travellers.
Adventure trips to Brazil are now on vacation itineraries
The first comprises the "thrill seekers" who sky dive, do sea sports, climb mountains, trek or do other extreme activities.
The second group consists of "those who have arrived", and who reward themselves in style by splashing out on destinations further away from Singapore and taking more time to explore a place and indulge themselves.
"These two groups either go for customised tours with their like-minded friends or opt for free and easy (packages)," she says.
Travel agents have been quick to cater to the changing demands of these holidaymakers.
SA Tours offers trips like international cruises, island-resort living and ice-breaking in Alaska. Chan Brothers has trips to Vietnam with radio DJs and the fun includes hiking and cruising on a traditional Chinese junk.
Mr Lee Cheun Kiat, marketing and public relations manager of Commonwealth Travel Service, says the company believes in "experiential and educational" experiences such as unique accommodation (a traditional Japanese-style inn with a hot spring bath (onsen) in Japan) and cultural interactions (dumpling making in China).
Ms Fern Sim, manager of marketing communications at Dynasty Travel International, says that the agency organises specially themed tours, such as "mid-autumn in Taiwan, where customers can release floating lanterns".
Muslim tours are rising in popularity, says Ms Chang. "The growing affluence of Muslims and the noticeable increase in number of Muslims visiting countries other than the usual Haj destination, Malaysia or Indonesia, reflect growth potential in this segment."
The silver segment is getting noticed too. "The elderly have money and time," says Mr Khoo. "Agents are prepared to go further by reserving packages only for the elderly so that they are among themselves, and the pace of the tour can be slowed down. This is another growth area to note."
Even with the recent economic slowdown, the industry remains upbeat. Mr Khoo says: "Things are becoming more attractive over the years. Competition among airlines, budget airlines, etc. has helped to bring prices down. If you look at travel prices in the 80s, today is probably cheaper, while salaries have increased. So Singaporeans have plenty of money to spend on travelling.
"What I can foresee as the worst case scenario is that people downgrade on their destination, spending maybe $2,000 instead of $5,000, but they will still go."
Ms Chang says: "Holidaying overseas has become a lifestyle in our space-constrained island. Hence, we do not foresee that there will be any negative impact on travel spending this year."
