SINGAPORE - There will be six long weekends next year, according to the list of gazetted public holidays announced by the Ministry of Manpower on Friday (April 8).
Seven of the 11 public holidays fall on a Friday, Sunday or Monday.
As New Year’s Day and Deepavali fall on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday.
The first day of Chinese New Year also falls on a Sunday, hence the following Tuesday, Jan 24, will be a public holiday, forming a long weekend of four days.
Such long weekends are typically popular for holidaymakers to plan their trips around.
However, hesitations remain about the changing Covid-19 situation and travel restrictions.
Travel industry players that The Straits Times spoke to said that although demand for overseas travel is recovering, it is too soon to tell how demand for travel next year will pan out.
Ms Kelly Toh, marketing manager of tour agency CTC Travel, said that while inquiries for travel this year have increased significantly to about 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, the agency has not seen the same enthusiasm for travel next year.
This could be because people are more hesitant to make longer-term plans as they are concerned about changes in the Covid-19 situation and travel restrictions, she said.
“There is still uncertainty because of the pandemic. People still seem to want to wait and see if anything changes. Perhaps they need some more time to gain confidence to make long-term plans.”
A spokesman for Dynasty Travel also said that it has received many bookings for trips at the end of this year, but not so much for next year.
People are hesitant to plan for trips and make payment too far in advance as they are worried about running into problems later on if the situation changes, the spokesman said.
“People still want to see how the situation turns out as it is still not very clear. Borders have just reopened and we don’t know what will happen if cases go out of control again.”
Booking.com South Asia-Pacific regional director Nuno Guerreiro said that according to its research, 81 per cent of Singaporeans were up for a vacation if budget permits.
He added that Thailand, London, Paris, Melbourne, Dubai, Seoul and Sydney are the top searched destinations by Singapore travellers, following the easing of travel restrictions in and out of the Republic.
“As Singapore and Asia continue on a path of recovery, we expect to see continued consumer desire to travel come to fruition,” he said.
Financial adviser Dharia Mallareddy, 25, plans to take her graduation trip with friends in March next year, after having to put off the trip this year owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Ms Mallareddy, who has gotten her vaccination booster shot, said she is not worried about getting Covid-19 overseas and will prepare for the risk by setting aside more savings.
“I’m not afraid of getting infected anymore. At this stage, if I get it, I will just deal with it.”
She said she hopes prices will stabilise next year, as borders reopen and more people start to travel this year.
