Why Singaporeans are flocking to Malaysia’s Johor for food and leisure
Singapore residents made more than 11 million trips across the causeway in the first seven months of this year, fuelling a retail boom
Thanks to streamlined immigration procedures, she rarely needs to present her passport, using a QR code to pass the checkpoint before catching a complimentary shuttle bus that whisks her to R&F Mall.
“Since I need to go somewhere to relax on my day off, why not go somewhere where it is more affordable?” she told This Week in Asia, noting that her 10-ringgit cinema ticket would be unheard of back home, where watching a film often costs five times as much.
“To me, it isn’t any trouble at all. Once I cross the customs, everything is easy,” Tan added.
Johor has long been a magnet for Singaporean day trippers, but recent years have seen their numbers swell. Rising costs at home, a strong Singapore dollar and ever-simpler cross-border access have all fuelled the travel boom.
