askST@NLB Ep 5: How Covid-19 safety considerations will change travel industry

29:13 mins

Synopsis: This is the fifth episode of the askST@NLB podcast series brought to you by the National Library Board. The monthly talks by The Straits Times correspondents were previously held at the Central Public Library but due to Covid-19 safe distancing measures, we are converting the sessions into a podcast series done remotely. 

Listen to the correspondents you follow, more intimately, through our podcasts.  

For this episode, The Straits Times' travel editor Lee Siew Hua invites her guest - Paul Whiteway - who is senior director for the Apac region at Skyscanner, a global online travel company. They discuss how travelling will change when it’s safe to get on a plane again.

1. Are post-lockdown "travel bubbles" or "fast travel lanes" prone to more disruptions? (2:40)
2. What are Singaporeans searching for, when it comes to their future travel plans? (4:00)

3. Singapore travellers for now, will consider flexible room change and cancellation policies to be more important than hotel star ratings or loyalty programmes (6:50)

4. Why short road trips, and outdoor or back-to-nature experiences will be preferred in the coming months (12:30)
5. Virtual tours in one-hour escapade formats (20:10)

We tackle selected readers' questions: (23:35 onwards)

1. From ST reader Ms Bernadette Tan: "My boyfriend plans to return to London & Paris for his 40th birthday, which is in October 2020. I think he is being optimistic. He thinks it can happen. What do you say?"

2. Reader Mr Richard Yeo: "When can Singaporeans visit the United Kingdom? Will there be a 14-day quarantine?"

3. Reader Mr Ben Kong: "Will post-Covid airfares and hotel room rates go up?"

More on virtual tours in Lee's story: https://str.sg/JsFM

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Produced by: Lee Siew Hua (siewhua@sph.com.sg) & Ernest Luis

Edited by: Adam Azlee

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