How some families avoid house-visiting over Chinese New Year period
While the majority of Chinese families in Singapore busied themselves with house visits on the first day of the Lunar New Year, others opted to go overseas for the holidays.
On Friday, Yahoo Singapore spoke to some of them on a flight to Taipei about their decision. The trip was sponsored by Tigerair.
Graduate Yeo Si Ming, who was travelling with her parents, said, “We just wanted a getaway from Singapore and we can only do so during the Chinese New Year.”
When asked why her family had chosen taking a trip over doing house visits during Chinese New Year, the 25-year-old said that her parents, who own a wholesale fruits and vegetables business, could only escape from their work schedules during this period.
Watch how the rest of Singapore celebrates Chinese New Year:
Another Singaporean, Lee Kin Kit, said, “This is our annual Lunar New Year holiday and it is the best time for us to spend some time together.”
The 36-year-old recruiter said that his family “seldom” goes for house visiting during the occasion, and it has been a family tradition to travel during Chinese New Year. Lee himself personally prefers travelling to house-visiting.
Meanwhile, a 66-year-old woman who wanted to be known as Mdm Low had a different reason for travelling during this period.
“We have a church conference to go to [in Taipei] and they usually have it on Lunar New Year since it’s a holiday. I’ve gone for these church conferences for over twenty years now,” said Low, who was travelling with her husband.
All three of them were also top winners of a Chinese New Year lucky ang bao giveaway that took place during the flight. They won flight ticket discount vouchers worth S$888 each.
More people travelling during Chinese New Year
Koay Peng Yen, the group chief executive officer of Tigerair, said that only 30 per cent of Tigerair passengers travelling during the Chinese New Year period consists of pairs or groups, such as families.
In response to media queries by Yahoo Singapore, Koay added that one in four of those passengers are Singaporeans.
Some of the top destinations during this period include, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Jogjakarta, Lombok and Ningbo, according to Koay.
“Ticket sales generally perform well as there are increased demands for passengers who are returning home to celebrate the Lunar New Year. There are also those who just want to capitalise on the long weekend to find respite from festivities,” he said.
Another low-cost carrier airline, Air Asia, also expected “a surge of passengers” during the Chinese New Year period. In a release, Air Asia said that they have added more flights – available between 28 January and 5 February - for routes including Johor Bahru and Kuching to Singapore.
Meanwhile, Jetstar has added more flights between Penang and Singapore over the festive period.
