Singapore reopens borders, here's the "bubble" for business travel

It is called Connect@Chiangi and is the initiative sought by the city-state government to open up the world of business travel again.

Southeast Asia, statistics in hand, has withstood the impact with the various waves of covid. Of all the nations in the area, only the Philippines and Indonesia recorded high numbers of infections and deaths; all other nations were able to act and respond in a way that contained the pandemic.

One of the ways that led to containment was certainly the immediate and ongoing closure of borders.

There had been talk at the end of the year of a Tourist corridor for travel between Hong Kong and Singapore, an initiative that was effectively stopped the day before the first two flights took off and never revived.

What is Connect@Chiangi

The government of the Asian republic has decided to turn a hotel facility with meeting rooms, gymnasium and restaurants into a convention center and make it a kind of middle ground where travelers from all over the world will be hosted.

Inside the hotel one can then meet businessmen and women from all over the world with Singapore residents. Or one will be able to fly to Singapore to meet passengers from other parts of the world, have one or more meetings, and then depart for home.

How the Connect@Chiangi protocol works

The facility became operational these days and is currently able to accommodate 150 people, but the plan is to be able to increase to 1,500 guests. A total of 40 conference rooms, gymnasium, common areas and more are available.

• Travelers can apply for the SafeTravel Pass under the Connect@Chiangi program so they can conduct in-person business meetings with companies in Singapore
• After landing at Changi, you are transferred directly to the Connect@Changi facility and will not be allowed to leave except to return to the airport.
• Travelers will need a negative COVID-19 test before travel, will undergo another COVID-19 test upon arrival, and will have to stay in their room until the results are available. Then depending on the length of stay they will need to be tested again after three, seven and 14 days.
• Travelers will be completely insulated and have three meals a day delivered to their rooms, and will be able to use the facility's services (the gymnasium)
• It will be possible to conduct in-person business meetings with locals in the conference rooms, in separate rooms with glass panels and independent ventilation systems to avoid possible contagion. In case there is a need to pass documents to each other, they will be sanitized before being transferred between rooms

All from about 300$ per day for full board treatment, also including transfer to and from the airport.

Of course, various types of rooms are available, including panoramic suites.

Also special is the check-in/out policy, which will take place 2 hours after landing and two hours before departure. Finally, it will be necessary to make reservations at least 14 days in advance.

Is this the future of travel?

It is impossible today to have an idea of what the future of travel, whether business or leisure, will be. Certainly this approach is the child of a mindset that first places the focus on protecting citizens. Today you can go to the U.S. on business, with covid tested flights you will not even have to go through quarantine on arrival. Other countries like Dubai are absolutely open to all travelers, including tourists.

I personally find this idea quite crazy, what's the point of seeing each other behind glass, not being able to socialize with a customer/business partner, might as well use Zoom. Instead it could be a kind of demilitarized area, where people from 2 different areas could meet in person and not behind a barrier. In the case of having to have a meeting not with a resident but with a passenger, everything would take place inside the facility (thus respecting protocols) and one could do without the dividing barriers.

Of course, if two businessmen are to meet. It would make much more sense for both of us to fly to Dubai, where they could do all the business without having to submit to the rigid barracks regime and at even lower costs.