Singapore is at the top of the list of travel destinations for people living in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines for post-lockdown travel, according to a new global study.

The study, which is jointly conducted by Blackbox Research, Dynata and Language Connect, examines the sentiments, preferences and expectations of 10,195 people from 17 countries, regarding travel in a post-Covid-19 world.

Singapore well placed to take advantage of increased travel demand

Saurabh Sardana, Chief Operating Officer of Blackbox Research, said that people across Asia have "the most pent-up demand to travel", and that Singapore is well-placed to tap into that opportunity, given its strategic location.

"As Asia's business hub as well, Singapore's immediate focus on appealing to business travellers by working to establish green lane arrangements with a number of countries will help kickstart the industry," he said.

Sardana also said that the increasing prevalence of digital tools replacing in-person business meetings, along with concerns on health and safety due to Covid-19, are deterring people worldwide from engaging in business travel.

The study showed that one in five people globally will look to avoid business travel in the next 12 months, which may prove to be a challenge for Singapore's plans to progressively resume essential business travel for executives.

However, Sardana also said that Singapore is "well placed to cut through the fear and noise around pandemic travel", given that Singapore has the number of Covid-19 cases under control.

Singaporeans still keen to travel in the near future

According to the study, demand for international leisure travel in the short term has dampened, with 44 per cent of respondents worldwide still keen to avoid international vacations.

In particular, the Japanese (32 per cent), Filipinos (42 per cent), and New Zealanders (43 per cent) are the least eager to take long-haul trips.

In comparison, 68 per cent of Singaporeans are keen to take long-haul trips, and 83 per cent of Singaporeans wish to take short-haul trips to neighbouring countries.

Some 47 per cent of Singaporeans wish to start travelling again within six months, while a further 24 per cent are keen to begin travelling within a year.

The study also showed that Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and Taiwan are among the countries that Singaporeans wish to visit the most.

The study also indicated that travellers may have new expectations of travel in a post-Covid-19 world, with 80 per cent willing to pay for safer accommodation, and 74 per cent open to paying a higher premium for travel insurance, in exchange for protection against pandemics.

Travellers also showed a greater want for contactless travel, with 76 per cent of respondents indicating that their preferred travel destinations will be countries that offer more contactless experiences.

The study also showed that e-boarding passes (44 per cent), touchless lavatories (43 per cent), contactless journeys from airports to hotels (40 per cent), no more middle seats in transportation (36 per cent) and digital health passports (35 per cent) are some of the new ideas which global travellers hope to see implemented in the near future.

In particular, Singaporeans consider safety measures to be the most important factor for their next travel, above other factors such as price and location.

Top image via Unsplash.