Mark HengThe most anticipated and biggest travel fair in Singapore, NATAS Travel is held twice yearly. Organised and held by the National Association of Travel Agents, this fair draws massive crowds of Singaporeans looking for a getaway – every sort of holiday is available – from a short retreat, a week-long family vacation, to an extended sabbatical. NATAS Travel brings together travel specialists, tour operators and national tourism organisations to present popular and unique travel destinations around the region and the world, and more importantly, to offer the most tempting deals and the best travel promotions of the year.
A taste of the deals available at the main event, and the associated crowds, is offered at pre-NATAS travel fairs held in the weeks before the actual NATAS fair by major travel agencies. With healthy crowds and queues at these fairs even in the morning, it seems that Singaporeans have never been more enthusiastic about taking a break overseas. In fact, the crush of over 300 people queuing before the event officially opened at 10am at Chan Brother’s pre-NATAS travel fair was testament to the readiness of Singaporeans in planning, penning and proceeding with their travel bookings. (Our experience at these fairs has been captured in this article.) As such, we are here to help you make sense out of the chaos expected at NATAS 2011, to snap up the best deals available.
The early bird gets the worm – most tour agencies have special discounts for those who make early bookings to travel on selected departure dates, such as allowing a second passenger to travel for half the price or even for free. Once a particular tour package hits its passenger target to confirm the tour, the price of the tour changes. Hence, be sure to ask the consultant about any special discounts offered or if any new departure dates have been opened.
Step 1: Do your homework early and research the tour packages you are interested in and which tour agencies you want to make your travel bookings with. This can be done so conveniently online at our NATAS Fair 2011 page, where we have compiled the travel deals available at NATAS 2011.
Step 2: Bring your credit card, as each tour agency is likely to have tied up with a bank to offer even greater promotions – the cherry on top of the cake – to encourage customer to use specific credit cards. Such extra deals include offering free trolley luggage bags with purchases above a certain amount that differs between travel agents and banks.
Step 3: Arrive at NATAS Travel Fair 2011 early as there will be a queue and parking will get even more difficult the longer you wait and the later you arrive. As such, public transportation may be a good idea even if you do own personal transportation.
Step 4: Once you enter, head straight to your selected tour agency’s booth and book your dream tour!
Event Details
Event: NATAS Travel Fair 2011
Location: Singapore Expo Halls 4 & 5
Dates: 25 to 27 February 2011
Opening Hours: 10.00AM – 9.30PM
Admission: S$4 for Adults; Free for Children below 12
