SINGAPORE: Travel Agencies Say Singaporeans Skipping US As A Holiday Destination

Some Singaporeans are bypassing the United States as a destination during the June holiday period.

For the first time in 38 years, Sino-America (SA) Tours has had no confirmed group booking for all three of its US tour packages.

Its spokesman said: "It was shocking that recently customers were no longer inquiring about our US tour packages, but interest has been gradually declining over the past two years."

She said there had been a 50 per cent drop in bookings in 2015, followed by an 80 per cent drop last year.

Most US tour packages for June are usually booked by February, and SA Tours has stopped advertising them. The spokesman said Europe has become a more affordable alternative.

SA Tours was among four of five travel agencies that said they had seen a fall in demand for US tour packages.

Dynasty Travel's public relations and communications director, Ms Alicia Seah, said there had been a 30 per cent decrease in bookings for US tour packages compared with the same period last year.

She cited the uncertainty caused by US President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of several Muslim-majority countries as one of the factors for the decline. Though the travel ban did not affect any Asia-Pacific country, it suggested hostility to the rest of the world, she added.

Two other agencies, ASA Holidays and CS Travel, cited similar factors for their 20 to 30 per drop in bookings to the US.

CS Travel's general manager, Ms Alice Lai, said: "The currency and change of government in the States have played a part in the fall, but we believe once stability is restored, Singaporeans will want to travel there again."

But Chan Brothers Travel's marketing communications executive, Ms Justine Koh, said the US remains as a top 10 destination for its customers, and its US bookings have not been affected.

"As long as the package price is attractive, Singaporeans will continue to make the US one of their go-to holiday destinations," she added.

Search volumes on travel search engine Kayak.sg from March to mid-April showed searches for flights to the US had dropped 23 per cent from last year. Flight bookings to the US in June also dropped by 10 per cent, while flight prices decreased by 8 per cent.

Mr Imbert Fung, director of Kayak South-east Asia and India,said: "A contributing factor may be the recent uncertainties surrounding the US, and additionally, a recent survey we conducted found that Singaporeans are most concerned with safety and security when they travel."

A spokesman for web travel site Expedia said that airfares from Singapore to North America and Europe have dipped by 5 per cent to 10 per cent since last year.

Citing examples such as the travel ban and ban on electronic gadgets on certain flights, Dr Michael Chiam, senior lecturer in tourism, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said the Trump administration and its policies have been a factor in the falling demand for travel to the US.

Mr Gevin Png, course manager for hospitality and tourism management, Temasek Polytechnic, said: "Perception plays a big role in tourism and when something negative happens, the region will be affected.

"People will still travel to the US for business and studies, but those travelling for leisure may prefer going elsewhere."

US Embassy spokesman Camille Dawson said: "The US government is committed to facilitating legitimate travel for international visitors. The US Embassy in Singapore continues to welcome and encourage Singaporeans' travel and study in the US."

She added that the embassy had 750 attendees during its February EducationUSA fair, an increase from the 600 last year.

But Miss Nadira Rafeek, a 22-year-old Muslim who has worn the hijab since 2015, said: "After I started wearing the hijab, I became more cautious about going to Western countries because it makes me recognisable as a Muslim.

"I won't be travelling to the US any time soon."

Travel agencies say that Singaporeans are skipping the US as a holiday destination because of such factors as:

TRAVEL BAN: US President Donald Trump has tried twice to deny entry to the US to all refugees for 120 days and halted for 90 days the granting of visas to nationals from several Muslim-majority countries. Though federal judges have blocked his directives, immigration checks have been tightened.

LAPTOP AND TABLET BAN: Last month, the US and UK imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from certain airports in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.

STRONG US DOLLAR
The greenback has appreciated more than 6 per cent against a basket of six major currencies in the last year, making the US a more costly destination for tourists.

USA: American Travel Restrictions To Hurt Many Countries Including The USA

Seeking to capitalise on U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial new travel restrictions, companies and officials in Asia said they would target greater tourism and education ties with Muslims worried about the curbs.

Trump's Friday directive put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

In Muslim-majority Malaysia, the group CEO of Asia's largest budget airline, AirAsia, suggested countries in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could cash in.

"With the world now getting more isolationist it's time for ASEAN to start making it easier for tourists to come," Tony Fernandes said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Malaysia is a popular destination for tourists from the Middle East, with nearly 200,000 arriving in 2016 from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Qatar.

The country is also a key destination for medical tourism and halal tourism, with food and other products largely halal-certified.

In neighbouring Thailand, tourism officials said the U.S. ban could lift visitor numbers.

"The Middle East is a big market for us, especially in the medical tourism sector. They may choose to visit Thailand more and this may also boost our sector," Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said.

Trump has presented his ban as a way to protect the United States from Islamist militants, but it has been condemned by a growing list of foreign leaders and drawn protests by tens of thousands in American cities.

With concerns about safety and security building, some Asians were reconsidering U.S. travel plans and seeking alternatives, even though their countries were not subject to the restrictions.

"When you want to travel, especially for leisure, then you want peace of mind," said Alicia Seah, director of public relations and communications at Singapore's Dynasty Travel.

"Right now people are planning for their March-April onwards travel. They will put their travel plans (to the United States) on hold at this juncture in time."

Singaporeans may either chose to travel to the United States later in the year or explore alternative locations such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada or within Asia, she said.

Trump has argued tougher vetting of immigrants is needed to protect America from attacks, but critics complain that his order unfairly singles out Muslims and defiles America's historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants.

Keysar Trad, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said Trump's travel restrictions were not only hurting innocent people but were "bringing great damage to his own economy and to the standings of Americans internationally".

"Everyone who has relatives in America, whether they are from the countries listed or not, they are petrified of what this man is going to do to America and to their relatives," Trad told Reuters.

Some education providers had seen early signs of an impact.

Rod Jones, CEO of Australian-listed education firm Navitas Ltd, said the company had seen a downturn in inquiries for their U.S.-based English language courses.

"We have started to see students back off from the U.S. because of their concerns about potential issues they may face," Jones told analysts on an earnings call.

"But they still want to go somewhere," Jones added, identifying Canada and Australia as important alternatives. "The Canadian Prime Minister has come out and said 'if the U.S. doesn't want you, we'd love to have you' and I think it is the approach of Australia too."

Aulia Adila, 24, a young professional in the media industry in Jakarta, had been considering the United States as an option for postgraduate study.

"When Trump had a chance of winning the election this made me reconsider going to the States to study. Now that he won, and with the Muslim ban and the new migrant policy, it's becoming even more impossible and unsafe to be in America," Adila said.

"I'm considering another country where I'll feel safe."

NEW ZEALAND: Key Partnerships To Drive Incentive Travel From South East Asia

New Zealand is set to welcome more incentive travellers from South East Asia than ever before thanks to a series of key partnerships and agreements making it easier for businesses to bring their corporate incentives to New Zealand.

This month Tourism New Zealand signed a co-marketing agreement with Dynasty Travel, one of Singapore's leading travel agencies, along with partners Air New Zealand and Winchester Travel, which aims to grow incentive travel to New Zealand out of Singapore.

Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager South and South East Asia Steven Dixon says, “The progress we have made over the past few months in South East Asia is exciting news for the business events sector and will see more incentive travellers visit New Zealand.”

“Incentive travel is a global management tool used by companies to motivate and recognise staff for outstanding performance by offering special travel experiences.

“It presents significant opportunity for Tourism New Zealand to bring more high value visitors to New Zealand and is a primary focus of our business events activity in the South East Asia markets,” says Steven.

Under the new marketing agreement Tourism New Zealand will be able to extend the reach of its activity to directly target key decision makers in large corporate firms in Singapore.

Director of Sales, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events) Department, Dynasty Travel Ms Eileen Phua says, “We are very pleased and excited about this collaboration with Tourism New Zealand. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase New Zealand as an excellent MICE destination to our corporate clients.”

Tourism New Zealand has also signed two additional partnerships which will work to position New Zealand as a desirable incentive destination in South East Asia.

Late last year Tourism New Zealand signed a partnership with Immigration New Zealand and three MICE agents in Thailand - Big World Holidays Co. Ltd, Green Line Travel and Global Link International Holiday Co Ltd.

The partnership will work to facilitate faster processing of visitor visa applications from nationals of Thailand who want to travel to New Zealand to attend business events.

In addition Tourism New Zealand, together with Immigration New Zealand and four Indonesian travel agents signed a Memorandum of Understanding late last year, to facilitate faster processing of visa applications for Indonesians attending business events and corporate incentive trips.

“These partnerships are vital in breaking down barriers such a visa processing to help position New Zealand as a more desirable destination for corporates in South East Asia,” says Steven.

“From July – December 2015, we confirmed six incentive groups from the South East Asia region who will travel to New Zealand sometime in 2016-2018. These groups represent an additional 3,200 delegates worth an estimated $10.3 million to the New Zealand economy. Through these partnerships we’re confident that we will see these numbers continue to grow.”

Read more about Tourism New Zealand’s work to attract more business events delegates here.