Singapore top pick among tourists from Kolkata this Puja – Times of India

Kolkata: Denied opportunities to travel to international destinations for two years due to the pandemic, tourists from Kolkata are flocking to South-East Asian countries this Puja and the ensuing winter vacation with Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia topping the preference charts.
Hosting a travel-trade roadshow in Kolkata on Monday, Singapore Tourism officials said India has emerged as Singapore’s second-largest source market, with more than 2,19,000 Indian visitor arrivals in the first half of the year alone and a large share of it goes to tourists from top metro cities like Kolkata alongside Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
“Singapore has updated post pandemic travel policy and now fully vaccinated travellers can come to Singapore and do not need to undergo any quarantine protocol. No mask is also required for people at public places. Masks are still advised during closed spaces like boardroom meetings but not at restaurants and clubs. Bars and restaurants are also open like pre-pandemic period to encourage tourism. What has been most satisfying is that travellers from India are now spending at least one day extra than the pre-pandemic average of 6.1 days,” said GB Srithar, regional director, India and Middle East and South Asia of Singapore Tourism Board.
The 46-strong delegation of Singapore Tourism Board that included Singapore airlines (that has daily flights between Kolkata and Singapore), hotels, tour operators, cruise lines and destination management companies (DMCs) presented some new attractions that have come up in Singapore.
These include the highly “Instagrammable” Museum of Ice Cream; the Slingshot — a new thrill ride concept opened along the iconic Singapore River, and SkyHelix Sentosa — Singapore’s first open-air panoramic attraction that allows visitors scenic views of Sentosa and the Southern Waterfront. A unique experience at “bioluminescent environment” recreated from the sets of the movie Avatar is also in the offering in the coming months, tourism officials said.
Representatives of around 200-plus travel agents in Kolkata who attended the event agreed at the possibility of Singapore becoming the top international holiday destination for Kolkatans during this puja and winter vacations. “It’s a good sector for family travel. Getting a Singapore Visa for two years is easy and once you have the Visa you can travel to a number of nearby destinations like the Philippines at ease. The only thing that can bother the travellers is the high airfare and increase in hotel fares. We had a discussion with the airline as well as hoteliers to come up with new competitive packages that can suit the travellers from this part of the country,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman (east) of Travel Agents Federation of India.
Representatives of the travel and tourism industry said not only Singapore, the entire south east Asia is in demand this year owing to comparatively lower expenses and fresh impetus of hygiene and easy Visa roll outs.
“Vietnam is another destination that has grown leaps and bounds in the last two years. More people are travelling to Vietnam than they have ever been,” said another travel agent.