Singapore’s pilot programme to facilitate face-to-face business meetings between foreign visitors and locals will be delayed until at least February 21.
The plan, which includes a dedicated travel lane dubbed Connect@Singapore, was first announced in December 2020 and originally set to launch last month.
Connect@Changi, the sole bubble facility used to house visitors near Singapore’s Changi airport, is still awaiting finishing touches, reported the Straits Times.
Once ready, the facility will offer a “test-stay-work-meet experience” with over 670 guest rooms and 170 meeting rooms equipped with floor-to-ceiling glass partitions.
A Ministry of Trade and Industry spokesperson told Business Traveller:
“The traveller application start date will be broadly aligned with the estimated operational start date of the first Connect@Singapore facility. The appointment process for the facilities is still ongoing. More information will be posted on the Safe Travel Office website for potential travellers who wish to travel to Singapore under the Connect@Singapore initiative.”
The delay comes after the World Economic Forum announced this month it would also reschedule its in-person summit in Singapore until August 2021 “in light of global travel restrictions and the international challenges in combating the virus”, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry in a statement.
