It matters who you travel with: Expedia finds Singaporeans seek a helping hand as they make 2021 travel plans

• Half of Singaporeans feel stressed at the thought of booking their next big trip, according to the Expedia Travel Companions Report
• Recognising that for many the idea of booking may be daunting, Expedia® recently announced new features in an effort to be the ultimate travel companion

Singapore, 5 May 2021 – Today, Expedia launched its Travel Companions Report, which shows that with vaccination rollouts gaining momentum around the world, half of Singaporeans (50%) are still feeling stressed about the thought of booking international trips. And, although Singaporeans are looking forward to travelling again, 71% have been overwhelmed by planning their next trip, they have put off hitting “book” at least once and estimate that they need over nine hours to plan a trip.

Understanding that for many, the excitement of planning a trip after so long could come with feelings of hesitation, Expedia recently announced new features to provide reassurance and a helping hand to travellers around the world, including:

• Helpful tools: the new COVID-19 Travel Advisory tool helps travellers search for travel advisories around the world, including regulations for destinations, and safety and health guidelines.
• Improved support: new Virtual Agent capabilities allow many travellers to view their bookings, check their refund status, ask about hotel amenities or cancel/amend parts of their trips with ease.
• Extra perks: customers will receive more Expedia Rewards points on app bookings, which can be redeemed on future trips. Plus, premium Expedia Rewards customers booking VIP Access hotels can benefit from room upgrades, spa credits and late check out (subject to availability).

“It’s going to take time for travellers to adjust to a post-pandemic life and the new norms that this may entail – we want to make sure we are there for them, every step of the way. Providing a helping hand to travellers is our mission, arming them with all the information they need to confidently plan their next trip. We’re on a multi-year journey to becoming a travel company that is obsessed with our travellers, understanding their wants and needs,” said Lavinia Rajaram, APAC Head of Communications, Expedia. “Planning a trip shouldn’t be stressful and by promising our unwavering commitment and support, travellers can focus on getting the most out of their vacations once again.”

Most missed travel companions

When it comes to getting back out there, travellers noted the need to know everything about COVID-19 related travel procedures, tests and clearances all in one place as a priority (63%), followed by having access to all travel-related information, including restrictions, guidelines, and processes for each country in a single place (56%); having all final costs of their booking shown upfront rather than at checkout (54%); and having support with booking related questions including cancelling or amending their trips (45%)

In-trip, reducing stress and anxiety is also a factor. Some of the ways Singapore travellers typically combat anxiety, include:

• Listening to music (64%)
• Watching a series or movie (47%)
• Reading (38%)
• Meditating (34%)
• Asking for a helping hand from a fellow traveller (30%)
• Holding someone’s hand (26%)

Today, it is clear the thirst for travel is real, but support is more important than ever before. The majority of Singaporeans (83%) agree that, even before the pandemic, they were grateful for their holiday “helping hands” – the travel companions that guided them to create the best trip possible. When asked which helping hands they missed most, respondents in Singapore rank their go-to travel app the highest (57%), followed by their tour guide (39%), hotel staff (38%) and their travel agency (35%).

“It’s clear from our Travel Companions Report that people put an immense value on feeling taken care of and supported during their journey, and there are so many people in the travel industry that contribute to a traveller’s experience” says Rajaram. “At Expedia, we take our role in a traveller’s trip very seriously and are committed to having our customer’s backs.”

 Returning to travel

Looking ahead, domestic travel is still a key focus for most Singaporeans, and with borders still in the process of being reopened for international travel*.

However, with the upcoming Singapore – Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble, data shows there is strong appetite and eagerness among Singaporeans to travel with searches on Expedia.com.sg for travel to Hong Kong destinations surging by more than 800% in the first 24 hours following the announcement on 26 April 2021, compared to the past 7 days^.

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*Based on hotel interest on Expedia.com.sg between 1 January – 31 March 2021, for the travel period of 1 April – 31 December 2021.

^Based on flight and hotel searches on Expedia.com.sg between 26 and 27 April 2021.

 Travellers can visit the Expedia COVID-19 travel resource page for information to make informed travel decisions. for information to make informed travel decisions.

 About the Travel Companions Study

Expedia’s Travel Companions report was launched to discover attitudes to travel in 2021. OnePoll surveyed 2,000 adult respondents in Singapore, who have been on holiday as an adult. Dates of survey: 1 to 13 April 2021.

Traveller wellbeing is our priority. Expedia understands how the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect travellers everywhere, as well as the importance of abiding by government restrictions and practicing social distancing.

About Expedia

Expedia.com® is one of the world’s leading full-service travel brands, with a mission of helping travellers get the most out of every trip they take by providing everything they need all in one place, ensuring they are getting the most out of their budget and above all else, feel supported every step of the way.

Our commitment to insights matched with our unprecedented scale allows us to understand our travellers better than anyone else, delivering exactly what they need, when they need it. Our personalized experiences backed by incredible technology, enables us to deliver the widest selection of product offerings across accommodations, transportation, activities, and experiences, that help you get the most out of your journey.

Use our mobile app or visit http://www.expedia.com.sg to plan your journey with us.

© 2021 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company.  All rights reserved. Expedia and the Airplane logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc.  CST# 2029030-50.