Thứ Bảy, 8 tháng 6, 2013

Bangkok seeing sharp increase in S"pore tourists

A STRONG Singapore dollar and the rise of budget airlines are fuelling a massive increase in the number of Singaporeans visiting Bangkok.


Latest Thai tourism ministry figures reveal that the city’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport welcomed 551,425 Singaporeans last year – a 52.5 per cent increase from the 361,591 who visited in 2010.


The trend is continuing this year, with a 17 per cent rise in Singaporean visitors in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year.


Last year, Singaporeans spent an average of 5,102.86 baht (S$210) a day in Thailand, up from 4,816.85 baht in 2010. The average number of days they stayed remained the same at slightly over five days.


Ms Lina Ong visits the Thai capital three times a year, lured by lower prices, good food and friendly people.


The engineer, who is heading there again in August with friends, calls the city her “backyard” and she plans to spend $1,500 during the five-day trip.


“I do my Christmas shopping and buy Chinese New Year goodies like fish maw there and I sometimes tailor jackets for work. The spas are so much cheaper too,” said Ms Ong, 42, who buys a present for each of her company’s 100 employees each year. “You can get much more for the same amount spent.”


A recent MasterCard Worldwide survey showed that Bangkok is set to receive 15.98 million visitors this year, the highest number in an annual study of 132 cities. Singapore is expected to be a major source of these visitors.


A spokesman for the Tourism Authority of Thailand here said the growth was due to more Singaporeans taking short-haul trips. “People treat Bangkok as a rest and relax destination, where they can get Thai food, go to spas and golf,” he said.


The authority’s six-man team works with 10 to 15 travel agents here at any one time to bulk-buy hotel rooms and air tickets for them, putting the agents in a good position to bargain for lower hotel and airline prices.


Major players CTC Travel and ASA Holidays said the number of Singaporeans travelling to Bangkok went up by about 30 per cent last year compared with 2011, a trend they expect to continue.


“Bangkok is really a place Singaporeans can go any time. Some of my customers tell me they visit Bangkok more often than Orchard Road,” said ASA Holiday’s head of marketing and communications, Ms Eileen Oh. “It is a very affordable getaway for a weekend and many budget airlines go there now.”


Scoot, for instance, opened new routes from Singapore to Bangkok in April last year.


CTC marketing manager Kelly Toh said the increase is due to a surge of Singaporean travellers making return visits.


Ms Yow Mei Ling, 27, who booked a four-day trip to Bangkok with CTC Travel last month, travels to the city once a year for shopping and foot massages.


“I shop minimally in Singapore and I buy only what I need here. I save my money for Thailand,” said the marketing executive. “They have a way better selection and prices are more affordable.”


limjess@sph.com.sg



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Bangkok seeing sharp increase in S"pore tourists

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