With 2017 comes new beginnings, and travel plans for the year. Changi Airport polled Singapore residents on their travel wish lists for 2017, as well as their travel preferences.  

Here are some of the interesting insights from the poll, which saw the participation of about 800 Singaporeans from all walks of life. 

Japan is the most popular destination to visit in 2017

Despite the slower economic growth environment, 84% of respondents reported that they took two or more holidays in 2016.  More than half expressed the intention to go for even more vacations in 2017, compared to last year. 

When asked where they hope to visit this year, usual suspects like Japan, Korea and Australia continue to be the hot favourites among Singaporeans.  Japan topped the list of countries to visit, with about 16% of the respondents indicating an interest to make a trip there.

Iceland, while not featuring prominently as places to visit in 2017, emerged the clear winner as the top destination on Singaporeans’ bucket lists.  

With the growing popularity of third-party accommodation booking sites such as Hotels.com and Booking.com; more than half of the respondents indicate that they book lodgings for their trips through these websites; while others book thorough travel aggregators such as TripAdvisor, or directly through the hotel’s website. 

It is the opposite case when it comes to the purchase of air tickets however, with a large majority (72%) preferring to book their flights directly through the airline’s website.

In an increasingly connected world, Singaporeans are finding it a must to have internet access when travelling. An overwhelming 98% of the respondents indicated that they make arrangements to ensure internet access on-the-go when overseas. 

Find out more about the survey results at Now Boarding.