Tourists draw mixed reactions for turning area in Changi Airport into 'sleeper village'

Finding a place to rest during a layover can often prove difficult.

To combat this, some tourists in Singapore have started finding quiet areas in Changi Airport to catch some shut eye — including one which has been dubbed the "sleeper village".

A woman from the US posted a video to TikTok on Oct 5, showing how she and her husband rested at that area.

She explained that they opted to do this before their morning flight as their visit coincided with the Singapore Grand Prix and hotel prices were "astronomical" as a result.

Hotels near the airport were charging US$400 (S$518) a night at that time, while the average is usually less than US$200, she said.

While the couple had "a rough time" finding a place to rest initially, they discovered the Terminal 1 Arrival Garden, where they saw "at least 30 other people" sleeping.

The woman referred to this area as the "sleeper village".

The pair had come prepared with blankets and inflatable neck cushions, which they placed on the garden floor so they would lie down.

They "survived the night" with their luggage kept safely near them, said the woman.

"It wasn't the best night's sleep, but we did it — we didn't have to pay for a hotel. Wow! go us," she said, adding that she had slept for about four to five hours while her husband woke up every hour.

Some netizens upset, others praise the idea

While the video received some harsh comments from locals, who said such tourists were tarnishing the airport's image, some also commended the couple's resourcefulness.

"Soon Changi Airport will not be number one anymore because there are many people treating it like their bedroom," one netizen wrote.

Another comment read: "We used to sleep there when we were teenagers too, to take early flights and to avoid paying for ultra expensive taxi fare."

One netizen wrote that the couple could not be blamed for doing this as Singapore hotels are extremely expensive, while another stated that they had made a poor decision to transit in Singapore during this peak period.

While the airport does not explicitly ban sleeping overnight, the security might wake people up if they find them sleeping, according to some netizens.

However, others pointed out that security tends to be lenient after checking that they have a flight ticket.

Many social media posts shared tips on how to spend the night at various airports, with some even claiming that Changi Airport is the world's best for sleeping.

One Chinese student in Singapore even joked that she could just buy a sleeping bag and a pillow and live in Changi Airport for two years.

This year, Changi Airport was awarded World's Best Airport by Skytrax's World Airport Awards for the 13th time. 

Doha's Hamad International Airport now ranks second, switching spots with Singapore from last year's rankings.

They are followed by Japan's Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in third, South Korea's Incheon International Airport and Japan's Narita International Airport. 

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com