What makes a good stopover — breaking the journey with a night or two spent on land — destination? Is it the good food, excellent shopping, endless amount of touristy activities? Well, despite having all those things Singapore is losing its appeal with the Australians.
In an article by the Sydney Morning Herald, Australians are choosing the Middle East and China over our little city-state. Managing Director of Creative Holidays, James Gaskell says that this is largely due to the changing patterns in the airline scene, and adds that “a lot of people are chasing more unusual experiences on their way to Europe”.
With the growth of Middle Eastern airlines Emirates and Etihad, and Qantas’s partnership with Emirates, Australians are giving up the typical “wash and brush up” routine in Singapore and replacing it with a three- or four-day discoverable tour of a new city.
Introduced last August, China Southern Airlines launched a 72-hour visa-free option that allows travellers to stop over in cities like Guangzhou for free. The airline, together with local tourism authorities, offers stopover packages that include Cantonese food and local sightseeing.
The executive general manager of marketing for Flight Centre, Colin Bowman, agrees that the appeal of stopover destinations such as Hong Kong and Singapore have waned. He adds that stopover travellers in the Middle East can get four or five star hotels from about AUD100 (SGD115.48) per night, much cheaper compared to a five star hotel like the Shangri-La in Singapore which would set you back at least SGD368.
