Compared to other Asia-Pacific nationalities surveyed in the Agoda Travel & Tech Study 2017, Singaporean travellers were found to have the strongest leanings towards shopping while Thais were significantly more interested in health and wellness activities.
Singaporeans displayed the strongest preference for shopping (66 per cent), four- to five-star hotels (46 per cent) and dining (78 per cent).
To Agoda, this explains why Bangkok (second), Taipei (sixth), Hong Kong (seventh) and Tokyo (eighth) – all of which offer the sought-after combination of shopping, luxurious hotel and dining – made the top 10 most popular destinations for Singaporeans.
But it’s not all glamour for Singapore travellers, Agoda continued, as 72 per cent of travellers like nature and scenery. Top destinations also include scenic locales like Batam Island (fifth), Malacca (ninth) and Bali (10th).
Meanwhile, Thai travellers were two times more interested in health and wellness activities compared to the average traveller across 15 countries. Sixty-six per cent of Thai travellers indicated the preference, compared to only 15 per cent for Malaysians and 23 per cent for Filipinos.
The study further revealed food (77 per cent) was the top travel experience for Malaysians, which Agoda surmised has driven the surge in domestic travel by an additional 10 million visits in 2016.
“This was evident in the ranking of the top three destinations for Malaysia’s travellers, which included Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca – all known for their famous local cuisines… as well as their access to international dining options,” Agoda stated.
Apart from food, 73 per cent of travellers from Malaysia also looked for scenic getaways, the second most important factor in making their holiday decisions.
Among the top 10 destinations for Malaysia’s independent travellers, the only one that’s overseas is Bangkok, which ranked sixth.
