Indian travellers on layover at Singapore Changi Airport will now be able to get on a guided tour of Jewel Changi Airport, the Singapore airport’s latest experiential offering which was introduced to the world in April this year. Changi Airport Group, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines, has introduced a new Jewel tour itinerary as part of the airport’s Free Singapore Tour (FST) offerings. Open to transit passengers with a minimum 5.5-hour layover and relevant visa approvals to enter Singapore, this complimentary tour takes travellers through the many features of the highly celebrated Jewel, including a closer look at its architectural wonder and dynamic array of entertainment, dining, as well as retail offerings.
India is the sixth largest market for Changi Airport. With over 230 weekly services, India ranked as the strongest growth market witnessing 4.8 million passenger movements in 2018, with a 12 per cent increase year-on-year.
Two Jewel tours are conducted daily, one in the morning (10:30 AM – 1:00 PM) and another in the evening (6:00 PM – 8:30 PM), led by an experienced guide. Both tours feature the iconic highlights of Jewel – the Forest Valley and Rain Vortex, offer local food samplings and culminate in a free entry to Jewel’s Canopy Park, which is normally a paid attraction. The evening tour includes a viewing of the popular light and sound show, where visitors will see the Rain Vortex transform into a spectacular performance. Guests of the tours will also be able to purchase Changi Experience Studio (CES) tickets at a discount from the usual standard rate for foreigner tourists. The CES is an immersive state-of-the-art digital experience attraction that tells stories of Changi Airport in an interactive way.
Tour participants will be able to sample food from the Five Spice Food Court, which highlights hawker food fare. They will be introduced to spices and ingredients used in well-loved Singapore dishes by staff from Anthony the Spice Maker. Hawker culture is an integral part of the Singapore way of life, where people from all lifestyles gather in food centres to savour local favourites and socialise over meals. Morning tour participants will also visit d’Good Café where they will get to taste local coffee and learn about Singapore’s coffee heritage through the Singapore Coffee Museum that resides within the cafe.
Other than the Jewel FST, there are two other existing FST itineraries for transit and transfer passengers at Changi Airport – the Heritage Tour, and the City Sights Tour – both of which bring passengers on a short journey around Singapore and include stopovers at famous landmarks. These tours have been running since 1987, with 80,000 participants in 2018 – an 11% increase from the year before. The FST is most popular among Indian travellers[2].
Lim Ching Kiat, MD, Changi Airport Group’s Air Hub Development, said, “Changi Airport offers a wide range of offerings for our transit and transfer passengers, which make up about 30 per cent of the passengers travelling through Changi Airport. The Free Singapore Tour is one such offering and is a popular choice among Indian travellers who are transferring through Singapore. The addition of the Jewel itinerary provides another option for these passengers to get the most out of their layover experience and catch a glimpse of Singapore without having to leave the airport.”
Jacqueline Ng, director, marketing partnerships and planning, Singapore Tourism Board said, “We’re pleased to support the launch of the new Jewel tour in partnership with Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines. Through this special edition tour, we hope to give transit visitors a taste of what Singapore has to offer through the wondrous facets of Jewel; its stunning architecture, unique retail offerings and amazing selection of local culinary fare, and hopefully, this experience will inspire visitors to return to Singapore in the near future to explore the destination.”
Campbell Wilson, senior VP – Sales and Marketing, Singapore Airlines said, “Singapore Airlines is pleased to be part of this partnership to bring exciting and new experiences to travellers as we connect them to the rest of the world via Singapore on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights. We hope that visitors will enjoy the tour at Jewel, the latest Singapore icon, and bring memorable experiences home with them.”