Ep 122: Two Years of Travel Disruption, Part 3: A New Era Beckons in Singapore, with Karen Yue

Singapore and Thailand have been at the forefront of restoring controlled access for travellers over recent months. Now, as other South East Asian countries reopen their borders, how will Singapore respond?

This week, Gary and Hannah welcome back Karen Yue, Group Editor of TTG Asia, to discuss the changes that have happened over the past two years, and the outlook for 2022 and beyond. Singapore has taken a different route to elsewhere in ASEAN with its Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) concept. Momentum was building in late 2021, with 24 active and 3 pending VTLs. Omicron interceded, but this week Singapore restored its previous visitor quotas and opened new VTLs. Entry regulations are also being eased.

So, is Singapore - which was home to South East Asia’s busiest airport back in 2019 - on the way towards “buying and flying” once again?

And where are Singaporeans eager to travel to? Will Singapore’s MICE, business events and hospitality sectors refresh and thrive?

Plus, what is the future for Cruises to Nowhere, and are multi-destination cruises on the way back?

And what could be some of longer term impacts of the Great Travel Shutdown for Singapore and South East Asia as a whole?