Royal Tour Sees Surge in Bookings to Far East

The Daily Telegraph, September 18, 2012

Lastminute.com said sales of hotel stays and flights to Malaysia had risen by 34 per cent compared with the same period last year, while bookings to Singapore have soared by 51 per cent.

The increases were for bookings made through the agent’s website since September 11, the day the Duke and Duchess began their royal tour.

Their trip started with a two-night stay at Singapore’s Raffles hotel. They also visited the city-state’s Botanical Gardens, the Kranji Memorial Cemetery, and the Gardens by the Bay.

Last Friday and Saturday was spent in Malaysia. The royal couple visited Kuala Lumpur, before heading to the jungles of Borneo, home to orang-utans, clouded leopards, Macaque monkeys and the pygmy elephant. They stayed at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, an exclusive retreat in the rainforest.

On Sunday, they travelled to the Solomon Islands, where they were greeted by warriors in traditional dress. Today they arrived on the tiny South Pacific island of Tuvalu for the final leg of their tour. The Duke and Duchess were carried from their aircraft by islanders and treated to a raucous welcoming ceremony.

They are the first members of the Royal family to visit the smallest of the Commonwealth realms since the Queen in 1982, and will be the first to stay overnight on the island.