Singapore says it is open for Indian tourists, starts quarantine-free travel

One of the biggest impacts of Covid-19 has been on mobility and tourism. As the virus struck, closed borders, restricted airline policies, and such issues slowly became the norm. Now with cases declining, and the return of revenge travel, countries are back to opening up their borders. And the latest country to invite Indians is Singapore.

“Singapore is open and we are welcoming the Indian travellers,” said GB Srithar, Regional Director – India, Middle East & South Asia, Singapore Tourism Board. As Srithar explains, India has always been a very important market for Singapore. Pre-Covid, 1.41 million Indians visited Singapore in 2019, making India the third largest source market for city-state, behind China and Indonesia. What’s more, Indians tend to stay longer with average of 6.1 nights and they like to spend on shopping.

Singapore has done away with all Covid restrictions and now you only need to get an RTPCR test done 48 hours before departure. No further test needs to be done once you land in Singapore. “It's quarantine-free travel with no restrictions on your movement,” added Srithar. Masks are no longer mandatory for outdoor activities; however, they are still needed indoors.  

While prior to Covid, there were 15 Indian cities with direct connections to Singapore, now there are 14 (with the exception of Guwahati). “The air capacity and frequency is expected to increase further,” Srithar points out.  

The city-state's tourism board came up with a 'Singapore Reimagined' campaign, which was launched in Chennai in mid-March this year. The tourism board tied up with organisations like St+art India Foundation and showcased a large-scale installation titled Dreams From The Future. The installation is a collaboration between Singapore artist Tina Fung and her Indian counterpart Osheen Siva. The second leg of the campaign was unveiled in Delhi at the Gin Festival over the weekend.

“Singapore Tourism Board has been continuously working to bring Singapore’s unique experiences, food and culture scenario closer to the Indian audience. Singapore has twelve of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2021 with six of them in the World’s 50 best Bars 2021 list.  This speaks volumes of the vibrant cocktails and bar culture in Singapore. We warmly welcome you back to Singapore and hope you will not forget bar hopping as one of the must-do in your next visit to Singapore,” said Srithar.

Singapore is going to focus a lot on family travel and by end of April plans to launch packages aimed specifically at families.

“In the next few months, we will focus a lot on bringing family travel back to Singapore. We are currently curating packages aimed at families with children below 12 years old,” added Srithar.  “We are also hoping to bring back the meetings and incentives travel,” he said.  

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