Asia-Pacific

Chinese new year tour packages sold out in Singapore

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-20 11:29

SINGAPORE - With the year-end travel season still in view, many Singaporeans have already made plans for more sightseeing during the Chinese New Year holiday.

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With just seven weeks to go, tour packages for the February festive period are selling out fast, with some travel agents reporting sales of up to 80 percent of packages being booked.

Bookings are made as early as August, compared to September or October in the past, local daily The Straits Times reported on Monday.

Some bookings are still coming in as Singaporeans, both in the public and private sectors, are expecting bigger bonuses this year, for which travel agents attribute the brisk sales to the robust economic recovery.

They are expecting sales for the coming Chinese New Year to exceed those for the same festive period earlier this year when the economy was just on the mend.

The first day of Chinese New Year falls on Feb 3 next year, which is a Thursday. Singaporeans can look forward to a four-day break, including the weekend.

Travelers can expect to fork out about 10 percent more for packages to China compared with the same period earlier this year, and about 15 percent more compared with this year-end holiday season.

Chief executive of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore Robert Khoo said, "Sales for the Chinese New Year will see at least a 20 percent growth compared with this year's figures."