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SYDNEY (REUTERS) – The opening of Asia’s first “travel bubble” allowing tourism without quarantines since the hit of the coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in searches and bookings to travel between Singapore and Hong Kong, which it raises hope that the model can be more widely implemented.
Some of the first flights between the two cities, starting Nov. 22 on Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways, have already sold out, amid a 200-commuter quota that will rise to 400 on Dec. 7.
In the three hours after details were released on Wednesday (November 11), searches for flights from Hong Kong to Singapore grew 300%, followed by a 200% increase in searches for hotels in Singapore, according to data. from Trip.com.
“I think in the short term, people who want to travel are shaking their pants right now to sign up to travel,” said Jameson Wong, APAC director at travel data firm ForwardKeys. “Christmas has been popular (for reservations), as the offices will be closed.”
Airfares between cities have risen about HK $ 1,000 (S $ 174), or 35 percent, since the travel bubble was announced last month, Daiwa analyst Kelvin Lau said in a note to customers. .
One-way Singapore-Hong Kong tickets range from $ 618 to $ 1,028 on Singapore Airlines in December, according to a review of its website on Thursday.
Travelers will need to take and pay for two or three Covid-19 tests, depending on the length of their stay, in a deal that Lau says could be a model for a broader reopening of travel within Asia.
International passenger traffic fell 96.4 percent in September compared to last year for airlines in the region, according to the Asia Pacific Airlines Association. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific have been among the worst hit because they lack domestic aviation markets and both airlines have cut thousands of jobs.
Conrad Clifford, regional vice president of the International Air Transport Association for Asia Pacific, said the bubble, while small, was a step in the right direction to restart international travel.
“We hope that Hong Kong and Singapore will expand this agreement with other destinations and that other governments will take a similar approach,” it said in a statement.
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