Filipinos: One of top visitors to Singapore

By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA

August 7, 2010, 9:33am

Sensational Singapore (Photo by RONALD JAYME)

Singapore, thanks to its grandiose architectures, chic shopping centers, and fascinating tourist attractions, has become a favorite travel destination for opulent Filipinos who can afford to spend some extra cash in the bustling Lion City. As a matter of fact, according to Singapore Airlines (SIA) General Manager to the Philippines, Andrew Budiman, Filipinos are one of the top visitors to Singapore.

“There’s a high demand for flights to Singapore from the Philippines. When several airlines were cutting flights last year, we were busy adding flights. There’s a significant number of business and leisure travelers flying to Singapore every day,” said Budiman.

Not only does SIA have daily flights from Manila and from Singapore, passengers from Cebu and Davao will also benefit from SilkAirs’, SIA’s regional full-service carrier, daily flights from Cebu and four weekly flights from Davao.

“We were actually the first international airline that serviced scheduled flights from Cebu back in 1989. And by October 2010, services to Cebu and Davao will be increased to eight times and five times weekly, respectively,” said SIA marketing communication and services manager Rita Dy.

Among the most visited tourist attractions for the Filipino market are: the Sentosa Island, Night Safari, the newly opened Universal Studios, as well as last year’s much talked about F1 Grand Prix. But aside from these Singapore favorites, Budiman added that Kathmandu, Nepal; Penang, Malaysia; and Chiang Mai, Thailand are also among the emerging cultural destinations for Filipinos.

“As Filipinos travelers become more affluent, they tend to be more interested in cultural tours and extreme adventure destinations around Asia,” Budiman said. Other exciting and exotic destinations in SilkAir’s regional network include: Chengdu, China; Chennai, India; Surabaya, Indonesia; and Yangon, Myanmar.

However, there’s a common notion that SIA and SilkAir are rather expensive carriers. Dy stressed that the slight price difference is negligible for the kind of service they offer. “We want to give our passengers value for their money. We have also become more competitive in terms of ticket fares and tour packages. We also make sure to advertise all inclusive fares, no hidden charges and no plus-plus, so if you look at ticket prices closely, we’re sometimes cheaper than other airlines.”

To provide more reasons to visit Singapore, SIA has teamed up with Changi Airport Group (CAG) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to offer new value-packed holiday packages. Under a just-signed Memorandum of Understanding, the three partners will be working closely on a range of advertising and other joint activities worldwide to promote tourism to Singapore.

The global tie-up will give tourists the opportunity to visit new places of interest in Singapore, and savour what the multicultural food paradise has to offer through the Singapore Stopover Holiday packages priced from as low as US$33 per person on twin-share basis for the first night.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

For more information log on to www.singaporeair.com.