S'poreans shun Indonesia

S'poreans shun Indonesia

SINGAPORE (DPA): Holidaymakers from safety-conscious Singapore
are heading for Thailand's beach resorts and shunning Indonesia,
the Philippines and Nepal, travel agents said on Friday.

"There are very, very few people who want to go to these
countries now," The Straits Times quoted Averest Travel director
Winson Puah.

Not even low prices are luring Singaporeans to countries
perceived as dangerous.

Thailand is benefiting the most from the regional problems,
said C.S. Chew, director of Wingo Travel.

The recent massacre of the royal family in Nepal has prompted
a massive cancellation of bookings to the country, the newspaper
account said.

Even Indonesian tourist havens such as Bintan and Bali have
not been spared from sharp drops of visitor from Singapore.

Many of the agencies have stopped selling packages to
Indonesia since the unrest surrounding the threatened impeachment
of President Abdurrahmad Wahid.