Maldives a hot spot for travellers

The island nation of Maldives is fast becoming a popular holiday destination among Singaporeans, according to travel website Skyscanner.

In a new report, the website found that flight searches for air travel to Maldives - a popular destination among Singaporean honeymooners and beach lovers - grew the fastest among the countries it tracked.

Searches by Singaporean travellers on the destination almost doubled - a rise of 94 per cent - this year from last year. This figure is based on flight searches on the Skyscanner website between Jan 1 and Dec 10 this year.

Skyscanner's public relations manager Sam Poullain said a significant proportion of the searches translated into actual bookings.

One Singaporean holidaymaker who has been to the exotic destination in the Indian Ocean is housewife Irene Lim, 44, who visited Maldives for five days in July.

"I love Maldives because of the colour of the sea. I think Singaporeans love to go there just to relax because of the hectic lifestyle here," she said.

A spokesman for travel agency Chan Brothers said demand for travel from Singapore to Maldives has increased by 20 per cent this year.

"It is definitely a quick-growing destination," said Ms Jane Chang, marketing communications manager for Chan Brothers.

Although Skyscanner is a major flight search website, she added that the findings in its report reflect the demand from independent travellers only.

To ride on the trend, starting from Jan 24 next year, Tigerair will launch four weekly flights to Maldives, making it the first Singapore-based budget carrier to offer the service.

Currently, Singapore Airlines is the only airline offering direct flights from Singapore to Maldives, with 13 services weekly.

The Skyscanner report also showed that South Korea is fast gaining popularity among Singaporean travellers, with flight searches on the country surging by 79 per cent.

By country, Thailand was the most popular travel destination, followed by China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Skyscanner said.

The top cities for Singaporean travellers this year included perennial favourites Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Seoul, the travel website added.

mellinjm@sph.com.sg

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