Flights to these popular destinations are cheaper now , Travel News

PUBLISHED ONJuly 17, 2017 9:19 AMByChen Jingwen

If you're an avid traveller like many Singaporeans, here's how you can save a small fortune on your travel so that it could be used for your next holiday.

Skyscanner has been monitoring price drops closely in a research in the first five months of this year for its annual travel report. Below are its recommendations of the the popular places Singaporeans should travel to in the second half of this year to take advantage of their dramatic falls in flight fares:

1. Osaka and Shanghai offer great deals

Tenjin Matsuri Festival in Osaka boasts a history of a thousand years.Photo: Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau

Among the Asian cities, Osaka offers the best bargain with its fares plunging down by 65 per cent, according to Skyscanner.

The next city to enjoy a holiday is Shanghai, which has seen its fares falling by as much as 44 per cent.

2. Oceania

Peter Gash, owner and manager of the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, snorkels during an inspection of the reef's condition in an area called the 'Coral Gardens' located at Lady Elliot Island in Queensland, Australia, in this June 11, 2015 file photo.Photo: Reuters

Fares on the average for this region, which includes New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, are now lower than they were in 2016. Skyscanner's analysis covered 11 cities in this area, which has bucked the trend of rising prices seen in most of Singapore's favourite destinations year-on-year.

In particular, the average ticket price to Cairns is now 28 per cent cheaper than it was last year while flights to Christchurch are 15 per cent lower.

BOOK 21 - 25 WEEKS IN ADVANCE FOR CHEAPER FLIGHTS

A tip on obtaining a cheaper flight: Book tickets about 21 to 25 weeks in advance and save about 21 to 22 per cent. Skyscanner's data reveals that these are the best periods to book tickets, and not on a Tuesday, as it is popularly believed.

Tuesday is consistently the most popular day of the week for Singaporeans to search and book flights, followed closely by Monday, Skyscanner observed. This reflects their habit in planning for a vacation as a way to chase away any post-weekend blues, it reckoned.

CHEAPEST ENTRY POINTS

*Photo: Regent Berlin Hotel, where rooms on the higher floors offer a view of the capital's skyline.*

If you are planning to explore a few places on a continent, take note of its cheapest entry point. For example, German capital Berlin is the cheapest entry point to Europe even though Singaporeans like to fly straight to London. They can save $400 if they were to fly to Berlin first for their European holiday.

See the chart below for the cheapest entry points in the world.

chenj@sph.com.sg

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