Trip.com Group welcomes first batch of Chinese Visa-free travellers to Singapore

Trip.com Group is pleased to welcome the first batch of Chinese tourists to Singapore under the Singapore-China mutual 30-day visa-free arrangement. Among the Chinese travellers who arrived at Changi Airport this morning was a tour group organised by Trip.com Group, landing in Singapore from Beijing.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore, which is on the list of my top holiday destinations. Trip.com’s Chinese New Year tour package showcasing Singapore’s best sights and attractions convinced me to travel overseas during the Lunar New Year holidays, especially now that we no longer require a visa. I cannot wait to explore Singapore,” said Feng Shaoxiang, a member of the tour group.

Tourist-friendly measures including visa-free travel remove friction from the travel planning process, making last-minute travel possible, and with the flexibility afforded by the 30-day exemptions now in place, Chinese travellers are also able to make longer trips to Singapore. This has seen the volume of Chinese New Year (CNY) bookings to Singapore made by Chinese travellers on Trip.com Group’s platforms jump 206 times compared to the same period last year. Of these, almost half (47%) of the bookings were made by families.

To welcome Chinese tourists to Singapore, Trip.com Group and its partners in Singapore have launched a series of exclusive promotions. In collaboration with Sentosa Development Corporation, Chinese tourists booking hotels in Singapore via Trip.com Group’s platform will, subject to meeting certain conditions, benefit from a welcome gift from Sentosa with a plethora of exclusive privileges including free entry to Sentosa Island and free admissions to selected attractions, amongst others.

Andrew Phua, Chief Representative and Executive Director of the Greater China Region of the Singapore Tourism Board, said: “Singapore has always been one of the most popular leisure and business travel destinations for Chinese tourists. With Singapore and China officially exempting each other from visas, we believe that will further ignite the enthusiasm of Chinese tourists. In recent years, Singapore has successively launched a number of new or upgraded attractions and large-scale activities, hoping to bring tourists a better and more diverse travel experience. We warmly welcome more Chinese tourists to choose Singapore as an overseas travel destination.”

Edison Chen, Vice President of Destination Marketing & Strategic Alliances, Trip.com Group, said: “In conjunction with visa-free travel to Singapore coinciding with the Chinese New Year holidays, Trip.com Group immediately launched a microsite introducing Singapore’s various attractions, gourmet food map, popular hotels and tours to help drive bookings to Singapore. Plans are also in the pipeline to offer a series of carefully curated Peranakan-themed offerings for tourists to Singapore. We are focused on offering quality travel experiences and are committed to doing our utmost to promote international travel to Singapore.”

Edmund Ong, General Manager, Trip.com Singapore, said: “Since the announcement of visa-free travel between Singapore and China, we have seen an influx of interest, showcasing Singapore’s standing as a preferred travel destination. The tour group arriving this morning is the first of many. As part of our commitment to make every traveller’s trip count, we plan to launch promotional campaigns and curated tour products that highlight Singapore’s uniqueness. We look forward to welcoming more Chinese tourists, facilitated by the greater ease of travel.”

Trip.com Group recently revealed that Singapore will see a 46.8% increase in inbound travel when comparing this year’s CNY festive period with 2023’s CNY period, with an outsized 108.6% increase in total trip expenditure for inbound bookings over the same window.