Travel agents cut tours to Beijing during Olympics
TRAVEL agents here have decided not to offer tours to Beijing while the Olympic Games are on.
Of 30 agencies contacted, only three - SA Tours, CTC Holidays, and Chan Brothers Travel - said they are continuing to do so. The rest said there was little demand from Singaporeans, especially with the escalating costs of hotel accommodation and air fares.
Said Mr Edward Tay, managing director of Ace Tours and Travel: 'Singaporeans are calculative and they don't think it's worth it.'
Another reason for hesitation: the uncertainty over rates charged by operators on the Chinese side.
Said Mr William Yang, managing director of Eastern Holiday Singapore: 'The prices quoted by our land operators keep rising, so it's difficult to give customers any assurance.'
Accommodation rates in Beijing are also ratcheting up. Asia-Euro Holidays, which usually quotes $100 a night for a four-star hotel in Beijing, now offers it at $800 a night.
'The rates are too high. Everything is more expensive, and it is harder to get bookings,' said Mr Simon Voo, a product manager with the agency.
Some walk-in customers who enquired about trips to Beijing have also baulked at the prices of plane tickets, which range from $750 to $1,200, inclusive of taxes.
'They complain that the tickets are expensive and it is a hassle to apply for a visa,' said Ms Shirlee Seng, ticketing manager of Eng Seng Travel Service.
Singaporeans travelling to China from July 1 till the end of August need to have a valid visa - a requirement that was dispensed with previously.
Breaking from the rest is SA Tours, which has been offering packages to the Beijing Olympics since last August. Its current offer, priced at $4,716, is a four-day deal for two which includes plane tickets, hotel accommodation, and tickets to one Olympic event.
This is twice what it would cost a couple on a seven-day tour package to Beijing, inclusive of hotel accommodation, meals and transport.
SA Tours' marketing communications manager Ruth Lim said that response to the Olympics tour package has been lukewarm, with only 10 people signing up, including four foreigners.
'I definitely expected more people than this. But now, I really don't expect sales to pick up,' she said.
