As much as we love the Little Red Dot, there’s only so much you can experience within 721.5 square kilometers. That could explain why Singaporeans have been found to be the most avid travelers in the region, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study 2017.
Singaporean travelers continue to lead the Asia Pacific region in international travel, accumulating an average of nearly seven trips (both leisure and business) taken across the past two years. The number exceeds the Asia Pacific average of 2.7 trips, as well as the global average of 2.5 trips over the last two years.
It’s good to know that even outside the country, Singaporeans are still being kiasu when it comes to budgeting. The study found that Singapore travelers are spending lesser (a median spend of US$1,462 a trip) than their regional counterparts (US$1,677 per trip). In comparison, the global average spent per trip is US$1,793.
Perhaps the fact that we’re being stricter with money allows Singaporeans to take more trips overseas. 34 percent of Singaporean travelers actually adhere to their travel budgets — more so than the rest of the world.
“Singaporeans are avid travelers whether it’s for business or pleasure,” stated Visa Country Manager for Singapore & Brunei Kunal Chatterjee. “Based on VisaNet data, travel made up 10 percent of total spend by Singapore Visa cardholders in 2017”.
The preferred places of travel for Singaporeans aren’t that surprising, however. Malaysia remains the most popular location, with almost half of the 500 respondents here having visited the country up north over the past two years. Japan is close behind (37 percent of local respondents have visited the country), while Thailand holds 36 percent.
