Get-away: Fitness Holidays, Hokkaido And Perth

We find fitness holidays taking off among Singaporeans; Southeast Asians love to visit Hokkaido, Japan; and Scoot connects Perth and Singapore.

Hotels.com survey finds Singaporeans looking to take their first fitness holiday in 2015

Based on a survey by Hotels.com, nearly one out of two Singaporeans are looking forward to a fitness holiday in 2015. And it looks like adventure can be found in their neighbourhood with 785 of Singaporeans looking to find their adrenaline high in the Asia Pacific region (53% for Southeast Asia and 13% for Europe).

Motivation for fitness holidays ranged from relaxing and to get away from ‘daily drudgery’ (30%) to trying a new workout (27%) and even to meeting someone new (20%).

When planning for the fitness holiday, the top five activity choices (in order of preference) are land adventure sports (such as bungee jumping, snowboarding and skydiving), water adventure sports (such as windsurfing, cage-diving and whitewater rafting), recreational activities (such as golfing and hiking), strength exercises (such as yoga and pilates) and competitive sports (such as marathons, races and tournaments).

MicroAd surveys Southeast Asians on their favorite destination in Japan

MicroAd, a Tokyo-based ad platform company, recently ran a survey with 1,200 respondents about traveller preferences from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand to Japan.

Here are some interesting factoids we learnt:

• Nearly one in two Singaporeans have visited Japan, followed by Thais (29%) and Malaysia (28%) and Indonesia (22%)
• Hokkaido is the most popular destination for both respondents who have been to Japan (38%) and those who have not visited Japan before (34%). This is followed generally by the Kanto and Kansai regions.
• First timers to Japan are looking to spend the most on attractions (29%) while repeat visitors to Japan plan to spend more on shopping and accommodation (both 27%). The Japanese yen is currently at a low to the US dollar.
• Visitors to Japan – both new and repeat – look to spend the most on food as well as clothing, accessories and jewelry. Amongst the food types, sushi, ramen, tempura and sashimi are the most popular items.

Hokkaido is an island located in the north of Japan and is one of the largest islands in the world. The destination is best described as ‘one land with two seasons’. Summertime activities include seeing the beautiful flora, trekking to the mountains and sports such as river rafting or paragliding. During winter, travellers flock to the mountains to ski and snowboard or visit the port to board an ice breaker boat to experience sailing through drift ice. Regardless of season, there are hot springs throughout the island, and restaurants serving seasonal food. Each city has its own distinctive flavour and travellers can opt to join during local festival times.

(Images from Hokkaido Official Tourism Website and MicroAd Inc. )

Scoot starts daily flights between Perth and Singapore

For those looking for short trips around the region, Scoot has started daily flights between Perth and Singapore from 1 February. The plane has also changed to the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 375 seats and Wifi connectivity (chargeable) for those who can’t disconnect.

Perth is recognised for its wineries, restaurants, national parks and the Swan River. Singapore is Lonely Planet’s 2015 top travel destination of the year and features many top class restaurants, local festivals and celebrates the nation’s 50th birthday in August.

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