At the Lunar New Year celebrations hosted by Sentosa Development Corporation this week, I noticed the words “spring into prosperity” on the screen, right next to an animated image of a snake.
I suppose the word “spring” works better than “slither” – the latter doesn’t quite convey the lift we in travel are hoping that 2025 will bring us, after a rather challenging Year of the Dragon.
“Slither” apparently is what snakes do. The fancier term is serpentine locomotion, also called lateral undulation – a side-to-side movement created when the snake’s body forms S-shaped loops.
Yes, next week on January 29, Chinese all over the world will usher in the Year of the Wood Snake – and there are plenty of predictions out there as to what this reptile will bring us.
One almanac I came across says it “promises slow and steady development” and adds that “those who are patient, strategic and willing to embrace the Snake’s wisdom will find they can thrive by adapting to a slower pace in all aspects of life”.
So even the Chinese “feng shui” masters are supporting the notion of slow travel or silent travel as some industry leaders had predicted in the Year in Review articles on our site.
People born in the Year of the Snake are considered rational, calm, thoughtful, and loyal to their loved ones – Taylor Swift, for instance, is one of them – and travel should indeed thank her for what she singlehandedly did for tourism around the world in 2024.
But going slower may only be wishful thinking on our part because just in the first three weeks of January, changes and upheavals have been coming at us so fast it’s hard to keep up. Forget about “firehose of intent”, we are being inundated by “firehose of changes” on every front, from political to social and economic to the weather.
I suppose that’s what comes of living in a hyper-connected world of instant news feeds.
As for what’s happening with generative AI, the acceleration on that front is mind-blowing. I was sent a video of someone testing the new Google Gemini 2.0’s new features which allow you to search for flights and hotels in new and faster ways, saving a bit of time, and while I am not totally convinced people will search that way because it is still hard to think through the prompts, it feels like a step in the right direction.
So the “firehose of updates” is definitely not letting up.
For my particular Zodiac animal, the prediction is not so rosy – the advice for me is not to stay at home too much but travel more and my business will benefit only if I expand overseas and not focus on domestic markets.
Sounds like a perfect excuse for me to get on the road more.
Sentosa Development Corporation’s CEO Thien Kwee Eng (left) and assistant chief executive Michael Ma gets the blessing of fortune from the lions
At the Sentosa party, held at the newly-renovated W Sentosa, we heard how the Indian travellers were definitely hitting the road to Singapore, and how the Chinese travellers have returned – in one year, it moved from eighth place to reclaim its natural second place on the island.
True, groups are smaller and they are spending less, I was told, but the news that Chinese travel is on the rebound is good news to inbound travel players to Singapore, whose rising costs are impacting its leisure visitors numbers.
So what is China’s biggest travel company predicting for the Year of the Snake, which it describes as a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and transformation? Well, Trip.com Group is expecting Chinese customers to “travel like a Snake”, which means longer stays and shedding off the usual destinations – and it is forecasting a rise in cross-border travel with stays up to 10% longer this holiday season as well as growing interest in off-the-beaten-path destinations and cruises. (See this report).
It doesn’t take a geomancer to predict that all the world’s eyes will be on the Chinese outbound market, hoping it will continue the momentum from last year. In 2024, according to this report, by the third quarter, outbound travel had reached 82% of 2019 figures, with substantial growth concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, joyous news indeed – its long-awaited equal marriage law came into effect on Thursday, and Hundreds of couples across the country received marriage certificates resulting in “a pageant of colours and costumes”.
Agoda recently released a study revealing that this legislation could attract an additional four million visitors annually, boosting tourism revenue by nearly $2b. Called “The Economic Impact of Marriage Equality on Thailand’s Tourism Industry”, the report features insights from key stakeholders including Bangkok Pride and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) Asia.
Whatever year it is, the Lion Dance can always be expected to give that “spring into prosperity” into the new year.
So, as we enter the new lunar year, what kind of snake do you want to emulate? Apparently, the fastest is the sidewinder rattlesnake which can travel at speeds of 18mph/29kmh and the slowest is the desert rose boa, which is so slow it is unable to pursue prey and must either wait in ambush or stalk its meals.
I know which I’d rather be. Happy slithering into the new year, my friends.
Listen to the article here:
