SINGAPORE – Queues have been observed in the Singapore Airlines (SIA) service center, and travel agents were inundated with inquiries as Singaporeans made their travel plans on Sunday October 10th.
The surge comes a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced it Driving bans would be further relaxed.
It was announced on Saturday that those vaccinated against Covid-19 can fly Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain and the United States from October 19.
You can also Fly to South Korea from November 15th.
But even as Singaporeans scrambled to secure itineraries, travel agents said many have also asked for more information on safe management practices in European countries – a reflection of concerns some still have about how safe it is to go abroad during a pandemic to travel.
Mr. Jeremiah Wong, a spokesman for Chan Brothers Travel, said: “You asked if there are any destinations that have weathered the pandemic better and if there are any destinations that are safer to travel. Some have also asked about the secure travel logs “that Chan Brothers Travel set up.”
Ms. Alicia Seah, a spokeswoman for Dynasty Travel, said it is expected that travel will pick up significantly by the first half of next year.
She added that some people may also wait for the initial price hike on flights to pass before solidifying their travel plans.
The agencies said travel routes to South Korea appear to be in high demand, likely due to media interest there.
Checks on the SIA website found that round-trip economy class tickets to Seoul would typically only cost $ 679, but prices rose to over $ 1,500 on some days in November.
Round-trip flights to Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain cost around $ 960 for economy seats.
But while demand is expected to rise in the coming weeks, travel agents appear to be waiting to see whether that demand will be sustained enough to warrant an increase in the workforce.
Ms. Kay Swee Pin, CEO of SA Tours, said it has only called a small team of 10 people back so far.
Mr Wong said Chan Brothers Travel welcomes the positive outlook but needs to see how the situation develops.
“As recreational tourism cautiously recovers, it is part of our organizational plan to monitor and adjust our human resources to better support the progress of the business,” he said.
“We believe that travel professionals, who are mostly passionate travelers themselves, embrace the positive attitudes we observe and look forward to doing what they are passionate about again.”
