This result comes from a survey conducted by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) among 2,571 members of the public who purchased travel packages at the NATAS Travel Fair last Friday to Sunday.
The sales of cruise packages accounted for 8.4% of the total sales at this NATAS Travel Fair, higher than the 4.3% achieved in February last year. According to the survey results, cruise packages ranked fifth in this travel fair, rising two positions from last year's seventh place.
Ouyang Shuhong, Vice President of the Singapore Association of Travel Agents, pointed out that this is one of the two major travel trends observed by the association since last year. Another notable trend is that more and more Singaporeans prefer to travel to countries that are less frequented by general tourists and have a strong exotic flavor, such as South Africa and Russia.
Among them, Turkey, which belongs to long-haul routes and has a strong exotic atmosphere, has also become the 10th most popular travel destination at the NATAS Travel Fair for the first time. The association could not provide exact data on the sales of travel packages to more exotic countries this year compared to previous years, but exhibitors reported a significant increase in inquiries and bookings for travel packages to South Africa, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia.
However, Zheng Xiaofang, Deputy General Manager of the Travel Department at New New Travel Agency, pointed out in an interview that places like South Africa and Scandinavia are relatively remote, and South Africa is actually more popular during the school holidays in December. In the coming months, more people are expected to choose relatively closer destinations like Turkey, Nepal, and India.
As for cruise packages, a spokesperson for Citystate Cruises, which represents Royal Caribbean International, stated that as more international cruise companies seek to develop the Asian market and launch more routes in Asia and Southeast Asia, more people are willing to try this travel method. Although retirees still make up the majority of the company's customers, cruises are also beginning to attract a significant number of young middle-class individuals, who now account for about 30% to 40% of the company's customer base.
According to another survey, the four most popular travel destinations for Singaporeans are Europe, Japan, China, and South Korea.
