This year is a great one for long weekend vacations. Six public holidays fall on a Monday, Friday or Sunday.
They are Chinese New Year (Feb 14 to 16), Good Friday (April 2), Vesak Day (May 28), National Day (Aug 9), Hari Raya Puasa (Sept 10), and Deepavali (Nov 5).
Many Singaporeans have already made plans. Major travel agents say many of their package tours during the Chinese New Year period are almost fully booked. This is traditionally a popular time for families and couples looking to escape or spend the festivities with an overseas trip.
ASA Holidays and Dynasty Travel say they have only a handful of seats left on selected tours to Taiwan, Korea and China.
Ms Alicia Seah, CTC Holidays' senior vice-president of marketing and public relations, says airlines have added flights to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuching and Korea during the Chinese New Year holiday to accommodate the strong travel demand this year.
According to her, travel bookings have jumped by 20 per cent compared to the same holiday season last year and they were made as early as October last year.
'You need to take only three days of leave to enjoy more than a week's holiday. Singaporeans are cash-rich but time-poor, so they will travel,' says Ms Seah, who adds that her company is already receiving bookings for Europe tours for the Good Friday weekend.
While the number of days of rest is the same as any other year, it just feels better to have them at one go.
Destinations popular among Singaporeans during long weekends are nearby spots such as Taiwan, Korea, China, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam.
Chan Brothers assistant manager of marketing communications Jane Chang says: 'Short and mid-length trips are more accessible due to the burgeoning number of budget carriers with expanded routes, not just to South-east Asian destinations but also beyond.'
Life! susses out vacation spots in places such as Korea, India and Hong Kong that have festivals, sales or local celebrations which coincide with Singapore's long weekends this year.
Most destinations are about four to five hours away by plane - ideal for a quick trip there and back.
tcheryl@sph.com.sg
NEXT: Ideas for a Chinese New Year getaway
(Feb 13 to 16)
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