Travel is a constantly evolving industry. It ebbs and flows with changing economic, cultural and technological trends. We travel to destinations based upon our own preferences, social media, traditional media buzz, recommendations from family and friends and because we’ve seen a location in a movie. And of course let’s not forget about the effects of advertising, marketing and promotion. Let’s face it the travel industry isn’t stupid, they know how to market.
In a recent study on the travel habits of Asian travelers respondents were asked to rank where they wanted to travel to in the year ahead. Interestingly despite the political tensions between China and Japan and South Korea and Japan, the land of the rising sun came out on top.
Asians prefer Japan
Japan was ranked as the clear favorite for regional travelers in terms of destinations. This was followed by Australia, USA, Maldives and Korea respectively. Japan is also the top destination for Mainland Chinese travelers, with the USA becoming equally important.
Philippines the least favorite repeat destination
When respondents were asked which destination they have visited in the past but will not consider visiting again, the overwhelming answer was the Philippines. It was followed by China, Korea, Singapore and Indonesia respectively. That’s bad news for a destination that’s trying to rebuild after a stunning natural disaster.
How people travel matters as much as where
The survey’s respondents were also asked about their accommodation budgets and the findings revealed that Mainland Chinese travels plan to splurge more than their regional counterparts. They will spend on an average of $169 per night, based on double occupancy, compared to the regional average of just $140. This is in line with their willingness to spend more for a better holiday experience. Chinese travelers’ desire for quality was further reflected in their choice of accommodation, ranking beachfront villas or hotels as their top choice, followed by boutique hotels and luxury hotels.
Group tours’ appeal continued to decline among all respondents which is an interesting trend for Asia; the land of package trips. The survey revealed that now just 30% wanted a group holidays. Instead, over 51% said they’d prefer all-inclusive holiday packages and purchasing accommodation and transportation only. Interestingly Chinese travelers’ desire to personalize their own travel experiences was especially apparent in these results, with only 14 percent opting for group tours, 54 percent favoring all-inclusive holiday packages, and 58 percent looking to purchase accommodation and transportation only.