Kiwi travel to Singapore for short breaks reached record levels last year and the country’s tourism board is confident of strong growth this year.
That will be helped by Air New Zealand’s new flights from Christchurch with thrice weekly services to Singapore during summer, in addition to those operated by NZ’s joint venture partner Singapore Airlines. NZ will operate a 787-9 on the route as part of that big summer international expansion out of CHC.
Edward Koh, Singapore Tourism Board’s executive director international group & Oceania welcomed the new flights, saying increased connectivity will help drive more Kiwis to the city state.
Last year Kiwis made up a record 165,000 of the 16.9 million arrivals into Singapore, up 2.3% on the year before.
. . . Rerouting
During a lunch in Auckland, Koh said his country was also seeing more traffic as a result of more passengers wanting to avoid the turbulent Middle East. Although traffic was hit immediately after the attack on Iran, there has been a recovery with SQ deploying its planes on to new European routes.
The F1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix was a major draw last year, with total attendance reaching 300,641 over the three-day event—an 11.7% increase from 2024. The event will include a sprint race this year.
The STB urges Kiwi agents to update themselves on new attractions in Singapore, which is a city which Koh says constantly reinvents itself.
