• New data from Amadeus and ForwardKeys shows far-reaching international profile of visitors to Singapore during the F1 period.
• Top arrivals to Singapore during the 2012 F1 period from Australia, closely followed by the United Kingdom and USA.
• F1 fans from London currently represent the highest number of bookings from any one city in the world, beating previous city front runner, Sydney.

Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, in conjunction with Forward Data SL, a market research and consulting company, today unveil travel trends, based on global air reservations, that highlight the impact of the Singapore F1 on inbound travel to the Asian city state.

With just days to go before the qualifying races, the majority of arrivals are expected from Australia, the UK and the USA for the F1 period in Singapore.

Bookings for the F1 period, made until 1 September 2012, show that overall bookings for the F1 are currently 3% lower than at the same time in 2011, reflecting the possible impact of global downturn. However the data shows that a surge in last minute bookings can be expected.

Top trends identified:

• Australia is the recurrent principal source country overall for inbound visitors to Singapore during the F1 with 23% of bookings, followed by the UK (12%) and USA (8%).

Australia carries over its status as top source country from last year, with fans eager to see if Webber will add to his two wins on the circuit during the famous Singapore night race.

• F1 fans from London currently represent the highest number of travellers from any one city (9% of total bookings) during this period.

High off the success of the 2012 Olympic Games, it seems Londoners are heading to Singapore for the F1 to continue their support for some of the world’s most iconic sporting events that 2012 will see. Sydney follows in second place with 8% and Melbourne with 6% of total bookings.

• The UK, Australia and New Zealand show recurrent support for the Singapore F1, but New Zealand F1 fans show double digit growth in 2012.

Travellers from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand show higher anticipation when booking for the Singapore Grand Prix than other countries, booking further in advance than neighbouring Asian countries. Current bookings observed suggest that Australia and New Zealand could increase its relevance this year thanks mainly to a huge 34% growth seen in bookings from New Zealand compared to 2011.

• Last minute bookings tipped to fill the stands.

Despite current booking numbers dipping 3% lower than at the same time last year for the F1 period, it is expected that last minute bookings could still have a major impact on the final picture. Looking at booking data just three weeks before the first race in 2011, 33% of the final 2011 F1 arrival figures had not even been booked yet.

• Race goers making a long weekend of it; new alternative to the traditional romantic weekend.

Thursday 20th September shows peak arrival numbers (14.9% of total bookings for the period), two days before the qualifying race takes place, suggesting that visitors arriving for the F1 are making a long weekend out of the famous Singapore leg of the circuit this year. Furthermore, 2012 will see more couples arriving in Singapore with one third of current bookings for the F1 period being held by people visiting Singapore with a partner, up 7% on 2011’s final arrivals into Singapore.

David Brett, President Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, “Our analysis highlights the significant opportunity for travel providers and businesses in Singapore over the F1 period, particularly between 20th and 23rd September, when hotels are likely to see a surge in bookings. In particular, the research highlights that the window for air bookings to Singapore is not yet closed, with many more last minute flight, and subsequently hotel, bookings still expected in the run up to the event.

“For the travel and leisure industries, understanding traveller behaviour is essential to scale their services accordingly to meet shifts in travel patterns impacting the local region. The Singapore F1 continues to grow in popularity both regionally and globally, and through hosting this level of top-tier sports content, Singapore can reaffirm itself as a key player on the global sporting stage and continue to be a hub for compelling content benefiting both the local community and international fans to enjoy.”

Olivier Jager, CEO of Forward Data, added, “Travel trends are an important source of information for travel and leisure companies. By tailoring their commercial offering to external factors affecting traveller flows and profiles by region, travel companies can drive business more effectively. The data used in this survey represents actual bookings made, so travel providers can base their business decisions upon it with confidence.”

The forecast provided by ForwardKeys.com, a business intelligence tool launched by Forward Data in partnership with Amadeus, is based on actual air booking data available as of 1 September 2012.