Singapore overtakes Bangkok as biggest Asian destination

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Despite significant softening in hotel occupancy and average daily rates, number of room nights booked in Singapore with GTA rises +35% in first six months of 2014 with bookings by Chinese travelers u

Despite significant softening in hotel occupancy and average daily rates, number of room nights booked in Singapore with GTA rises +35% in first six months of 2014 with bookings by Chinese travelers up 45%
Number of room nights booked through GTAโ€™s XML has doubled

The success in the first half of the year has seen Singapore overtake Bangkok to become Asiaโ€™s most popular destination

A strategic alliance with Meritus Hotels & Resorts has led to a 78% increase in room nights booked at Singaporeโ€™s Mandarin Orchard
In particular, GTAโ€™s market-leading XML technology enables it to cast a truly global distribution net for hotels and in-destination services and experiences and power global travel

Latest success follows similar growth in 2013 when room nights booked in Singapore increased by 50%

One of the largest inbound operators to Singapore, global hospitality and leisure distributor GTA has bucked a downward trend in the destinationโ€™s tourism industry in the first half of the year, which has resulted in significant softening in hotel occupancy and average daily rates compared to 2013. With international visitor arrivals falling by 2.8 per cent in the first half of 2014, the softening is being attributed to a combination of weakening arrivals from China, lower demand for corporate travel, and a surplus of supply leading to greater price competition.

In contrast, the number of room nights in Singapore booked with GTA by high street and online travel agents and tour operators around the world rose by 35% in the first six months of 2014. The number of room nights booked through GTAโ€™s XML has doubled in that time. GTAโ€™s business has been so successful in the first half of the year; Singapore has overtaken Bangkok to become Asiaโ€™s most popular destination and โ€“ contrary to the wider trend โ€“ room nights booked by Chinese travellers has increased 45%. Most travellers are coming from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE and the UK; all important markets for destination Singapore as highlighted by Singapore Tourism Board.

Says Daryl Lee, GTAโ€™s Vice-President of Sales for Asia: โ€œThis is great news for Singapore and the hotels that are benefiting from our ability to reach practically every part of the planet. Every day, millions of people turn to online and high street travel agents and tour operators to book accommodation.”

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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