Knowing Singaporean travellers’ best interest lies in scoring the best travel deals to get the maximum from their dollar, the world’s leading travel search engine Kayak examined millions of travel searches to find out which is the best time for them to book their air tickets to top destinations.
Kayak’s data and analysis showed that, if Singaporean travellers book at the right time to top destinations, they can save anywhere from 15 per cent to 57 per cent on airfare. Travellers can even save up to 57 per cent if they book at the right time for European destinations like London.
Kayak’s data also revealed that, among Singaporean travellers’ top 10 most-searched destinations, the best time to book for popular destinations such as Tokyo and Seoul is at least five months in advance. Interestingly, it found that for European destinations, even by booking only three months in advance they can get up to 57 per cent in savings.
Singaporean travellers’ 2018 most-searched destinations and the best time to book
| Ranking | 2018 most-searched destinations | Average trip duration | Best time to book (months in advance) | Potential savings (%) |
| 1 | Bangkok, Thailand | 3 days | 1 month in advance | 29% |
| 2 | Tokyo, Japan | 8 days | 5 months in advance | 15% |
| 3 | Taipei, Taiwan | 5 days | 1 month in advance | 27% |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 4 days | 3 months in advance | 43% |
| 5 | Seoul, South Korea | 7 days | 5 months in advance | 17% |
| 6 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 3 days | 1 month in advance | 33% |
| 7 | Bali, Indonesia | 4 days | 1 month in advance | 52% |
| 8 | Manila, The Philippines | 6 days | 4 months in advance | 41% |
| 9 | Sapporo, Japan | 7 days | 2 months in advance | 44% |
| 10 | London, UK | 11 days | 3 months in advance | 57% |
The data and analysis cited are based on searches originating from Singapore for economy return flights made on KAYAK.sg from 1 January 2017 to 15 January 2018 for the travel period 1 January to 31 December 2018.
Potential savings are comparing the cheapest month with the most expensive month of booking in advance to the travel date.
According to Kayak, 23 per cent of Singaporean travellers plan for their trips only one month in advance. But the good news is this does not necessarily mean overpaying for a ticket. In fact, many popular destinations may even be cheaper when booked close to the date of travel. These include Bangkok, Singaporean travellers’ top-searched destination for 2018 travel.
Other popular destinations such as Yangon, Bali, Krabi, Osaka and Taipei are also potential options for Singaporean travellers looking for good last-minute flight deals.
Best-value destinations for travellers booking one month before trip
| Ranking | Destinations (to go if you have only one month time to plan for a trip) | Potential savings (%) when booking one month in advance |
| 1 | Penang, Malaysia | 78% |
| 2 | Yangon, Myanmar | 61% |
| 3 | Bali, Indonesia | 52% |
| 4 | Krabi, Thailand | 37% |
| 5 | Osaka, Japan | 37% |
| 6 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 36% |
| 7 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 33% |
| 8 | Bangkok, Thailand | 29% |
| 9 | Taipei, Taiwan | 27% |
| 10 | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 26% |
Data is drawn from the 100 top most-searched locations with best savings in final month before travel.
All potential saving claims are based on the flight prices found for specified range of search dates and may change, varying with time.
Whey Han Tan, Kayak’s Regional Manager, South-east Asia, said: “We’ve looked into millions of travel searches to help Singaporean travellers plan their travel with confidence. Our data shows that, for many popular destinations in the region, good deals are still available just one month out. However, for many destinations further out like Los Angeles and Christchurch, travellers should really book as early as possible – up to seven months in advance to get the best return airfares.”
