Bookmark & Share
Association of Singapore Attractions Chairman Dr Kevin Cheong described the air travel bubble as a “much needed boost” for the tourism sector, albeit the impact may be “more qualitative, rather than quantitative, at the onset”.
With the relaunch of the air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong, hotels and attractions in Singapore looks forward to welcoming foreign guests, saying they are “very prepared” for them, reported Channel News Asia (CNA).
Association of Singapore Attractions Chairman Dr Kevin Cheong described the air travel bubble as a “much needed boost” for the tourism sector, albeit the impact may be “more qualitative, rather than quantitative, at the onset”.
Authorities announced on Monday (26 April) that the air travel bubble with Hong Kong will take off on 26 May, with one flight per day in each direction. Each flight will carry up to 200 passengers during the first two weeks.
“Attractions in Singapore can easily accommodate 10,000 people a day, which means about 40 flights. We are starting with one to two flights a day so it’s not going to move the needle,” said Dr Cheong as quoted by CNA.
“But in terms of qualitative and symbolic impact, the travel bubble is an extremely important step.”
He noted that while people want to travel, they are still afraid to do so. As such, if the Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble is managed well without repercussions on the number of infected cases, it will boost travellers’ confidence as well as the reputation of the two cities.
Prior to that, however, attraction operators need more details such as whether additional safety measures will have to be put in place when entertaining foreign guests.
“We are very prepared for the travel bubble. Our protocols are very much in place so it’s a matter of giving us more specific details of how this travel bubble will be operationalised to protect our guests and staff,” said Dr Cheong.
Kwee Wei-Lin, President of Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), said the air travel bubble is a “positive step forward given the slow recovery of the tourism industry”.
With international tourism making up over 90% of revenue among local hotels before the pandemic, the hotel industry continues to struggle until borders are reopened in a safe and meaningful manner, she added.
“Over the past few months, we have seen success from pilot hybrid MICE events and more recently increase in capacity for wedding receptions, all of which have boosted our confidence and competency in welcoming international guests to our hotels,” said Kwee as quoted by CNA.
“SHA is confident that all our hotels in Singapore are now proficient and well-equipped to deliver our renowned hospitality excellence in the new era of travel … Looking beyond the Singapore-Hong Kong travel, we hope that more air travel bubbles will soon be established for vaccinated travellers in a safe and responsible manner.”
Expecting some form of positive impact from the travel bubble, Grand Hyatt Singapore plans to have “offers that will not only be applicable for the current Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble, but also for any additional gradual resumption of cross-border travels with other cities”, hotel manager Parveen Kumar told CNA.
Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore mulls “creating short stays for business travels and working with industry partners with a strong presence in Hong Kong”, said Regional General Manager Roy Liang who is in charge of overseeing Oakwood’s hotel properties in Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa shared that Hong Kong travellers who book their Luxury Voyage package for at least three nights will receive a complimentary room upgrade.
“The reopening of travel between Singapore and Hong Kong for leisure will definitely impact Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa positively,” said General Manager Piotr Kupiec as quoted by CNA.
“Being located strategically within Sentosa, we are positive that Hong Kongers would look forward to staying with us to visit local tourist attractions within the island.”
Looking for a property in Singapore? Visit PropertyGuru’s Listings, Project Reviews and Guides.
Victor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this story, email: victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg