According to a research by American Express, 74% of travellers are
more willing to book a trip, even if they have to change or cancel it
later on.
Mastercard’s Travel 2022: Trends and Transitions showed that domestic
travel is still leading the way for leisure travel in APAC, growing by
196.3% by the end of April 2022. However, international trips are
gradually catching up: by the end of March 2022, long-haul and
medium-haul flights have surpassed 2019 levels, while short-haul flights
are still slightly behind, but the gap is closing.
Villa Finder has also seen similar trends amongst Asia destinations.
The number of villa requests has been growing exponentially. In March
2022, the number of requests is still down by 33.63% as compared to
2019. However, in April, it was just 5.66% below pre-pandemic level.
“If we take a look at individual destinations, we can see that some
destinations are doing better than others. Indonesia has recovered above
2019 level, while Thailand and Sri Lanka are still lagging behind. This
is due to remaining travel restrictions in Thailand as well as the
unrest in Sri Lanka,” it says in a report.
The number of villa bookings are also still not at 2019 level yet.
However, the growth trend is clear and follows the trends of villa
requests, it adds.
Travel businesses in APAC are dependent on each country’s restrictions
As the Omicron wave passed and restrictions eased, the number of
flight bookings have been increasing in Singapore, provided that the
destination country also removes border restrictions:
• To Australia: +143.5%
• To Thailand: +119.9%
• To Malaysia: +99.3%
• To Indonesia: +72.1%
• To India: +58%
• To Vietnam: +32.9%
For destinations that still have strict border restrictions, the number of flight bookings are still very low:
• To China: -94.7%
• To Taiwan: -91.3%
• To Hong Kong: -47.8%
Easing of outbound travel impacts the number of flights out of the
country. Villa stays, on the other hand, are heavily dependent on the
regulations of the local authorities. The graph below shows that the
number of requests for Bali villas increased significantly after the
Indonesian government loosened travel restrictions.
Travellers are ready to spend more and staying longer
A November 2021 report by the World Travel & Tourism Council and Trip.com
stated that 70% of holidaymakers across the US, UK, Spain, Japan and
Canada would spend more on their leisure trips in 2022 than they had
spent in the past five years.
For those who are planning to spend more, they plan to spend on
upgrading accommodations, going to more expensive destinations. They
also want to stay longer in a destination to fully experience the place
and the local culture (source). Echoing this, Villa Finder’s data also
saw an increase of 15.05% in the average booking value in APAC
destinations. The average length of stay has increased by 26.65% from
2019 to 2022.
Travellers are more conscious of their impact
Vacationers are also more conscious about their impact on the
environment and the local community. In a survey conducted by Virtuoso,
82% of travellers stated that the pandemic had made them want to travel
more responsibly. 70% indicated that their experience would be enhanced
if they travel sustainably. Also, 78% would choose businesses that have
strong sustainability policies.
Types of trips travellers are looking for
Multi-generation family trips
Post-pandemic and an extended period of isolation, people want to
connect with friends and family members more than ever. We see an
increase in family and group travels. People travel to celebrate a
milestone like birthdays, anniversaries, or simply use travel as a
reason to get together, connect and make up for lost time. Zicasso
reported that the number of bookings for groups of six or more people
increased by 57% as compared to 2019. (source)
Luxury, relaxation, unique experiences
41% of Skyscanner’s Horizon respondents reported that they would
spend more on ultimate relaxation in 2022 compared to 2019. Bucket list
destinations is the second most popular type of trips, with 37% of
travellers stating that they would spend their money on these
destinations.
The third comes city breaks like cocktails, shopping trips, walking tours, etc. 33% of respondents chose this option.
Wellness trips
The Global Wellness Institute projected that the wellness travel
market would grow by 10% per year, reaching $7 trillion in 2025
(source). After the pandemic, it is clear that people are becoming more
health-conscious and prioritising their well-being in various aspects of
their lives, including travel. Primary wellness travellers are
motivated by wellness trips like silent treats, yoga, meditation
retreats. On the other hand, secondary wellness travellers are those who
participate in health-related activities on their journey, being it for
leisure or business purposes. The secondary market accounts for 86% of
wellness tourism expenditures.
Source: WiT