Visit to Tampines estate part of new itinerary as free tours for Changi Airport transit passengers return
The Free Singapore Tour is back after a three-year hiatus imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SINGAPORE: Passengers flying through Changi Airport with a couple of hours to spare can sign up again for free city tours, including one that takes them to Tampines estate.
Changi Airport Group (CAG), Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Monday (Apr 3) relaunched the Free Singapore Tour that had been put on hold for three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fourth tour that takes travellers to the eastern part of Singapore was announced, adding to the three existing ones that have been refreshed.
Each tour lasts two-and-a-half hours and is open to transit and transfer passengers with a layover period of at least five-and-a-half hours but less than 24 hours.
NEW CHANGI PRECINCT TOUR
The first half of the new tour includes stops at Tampines New Town - described on the tour website as an "exemplar of high-quality, high density and affordable housing" - as well as Tampines Central Park and Our Tampines Hub, an integrated community and lifestyle complex.
The tour "offers a glimpse of how local residents live, and tells the tale of Singapore’s history on this part of the island, away from the usual hustle and bustle of Singapore’s city centre", read the joint press release by CAG, SIA and STB.
The tour will also include visits to the World War II attraction Changi Chapel and Museum, Changi Village and Changi Park.
REFRESHED ITINERARIES
New points of interest have been added to the other three tours.
Travellers on the Jewel Tour can sample local snacks from homegrown brands like Bee Cheng Hiang and Tong Garden, while the City Sights Tour will include visits to national monuments like Anderson Bridge and the Padang, recently identified as a potential candidate for Singapore’s next UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Heritage Tour, available from June, will feature places of interest such as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown and Arab Street.
The Free Singapore Tour was first introduced in 1987 as a way to make Changi Airport more attractive as a transfer hub, and to position Singapore as a holiday destination for transit and transfer passengers.
More than 80,000 passengers went on the Free Singapore Tour in 2019 with Indian and Australian travellers making up more than one third of the total participants.
