SINGAPORE, Oct 6 — More than eight in 10 Singaporeans intend to travel abroad for leisure within the next year, with a quarter having already booked tickets, accommodation or both, a survey has found.

The top three destinations were Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, in that order. The survey, done by consumer research firm Milieu Insight, polled 2,000 Singaporeans aged 16 and above.

In a press release today, Milieu Insight said the survey was conducted in August with participants proportionally represented by age and gender.

In all, 81 per cent said they intended to travel abroad over the next 12 months. More than a third, or 34 per cent, of respondents were headed to Japan while 28 per cent were bound for Malaysia and 22 per cent were going to Thailand.

Gerald Ang, chief executive officer and co-founder of Milieu Insight, said: “Most countries have eased their travel restrictions and it’s encouraging to see the tourism industry on its way to recovery. The survey findings reflect a strong desire to travel in the coming year.”

The top three motivations to travel overseas were to relax (86 per cent), to try new things (59 per cent), and to bond with family and friends (56 per cent).

The survey found that different age brackets behaved differently when it came to their spending during a holiday and their saving habits in preparing for a trip.

Among 16- to 24-year-olds, for example, nearly a quarter, or 23 per cent, had a budget of S$1,000 to S$1,499 (RM3,250 to RM4,872) for their holiday, which was the largest percentage citing one of the survey’s price brackets for that age group.

By comparison, about one-fifth of all respondents aged over 35 had budgeted S$2,000 to S$2,999 for their trip. However, within the 25–44-year-old age group, another roughly one-fifth also had a budget of S$1,000 to S$1,499.

Apart from transport and accommodation, 55 per cent of 16–24-year-olds and 59 per cent of 25-34 year olds expected to spend the most on food and beverages. This type of spending was also the largest category cited by those aged 35 to 54.

The exception was that 47 per cent of those aged 55 years and older thought “tours and experiences” would account for their biggest outlay with food and beverages coming a distant second at 36 per cent.

Habits over saving up for a holiday also varied among different age groups. A majority (58 per cent) aged 55 and older said that they regularly saved up, while this practice was markedly less common among all the other age brackets.

Those younger than 55 tended to save for a few months once they had holiday plans.

In terms of regularly saving up for a holiday, only 39 per cent of younger travellers aged 16 to 24 years old made a practice of saving up, whereas 49 per cent of them said that they saved up for a few months in advance of their holidays plans. — TODAY