ABOUT 59 per cent of the respondents in Asia said they searched for travel accommodation online via mobile devices – 13 per cent above global average – with Thailand topping at 65 per cent, according to a AsiaRooms.com/Lenovo survey.
Of the over 12,000 respondents representing the Internet-active adult population in more than 25 major markets including the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Oceania, about 33 per cent of respondents in this region said they book travel accommodation via mobile devices (eight per cent above global average).
The study also revealed that 63 per cent of respondents in Asia are likely to use mobile devices in the future for travel accommodation booking (10 per cent above global average).
Not surprisingly, a higher percentage of respondents from Asia (75 per cent) indicated having made reservations online – mobile or otherwise – for leisure and business trips, which is 10 per cent higher than the global average.
Singapore tops for online accommodation booking, at 84 per cent.
The top reasons for respondents not wanting to use the mobile device more often is that content is hard to see on the mobile device (40 per cent) and that Internet connection on mobile devices is slow or unstable (35 per cent).
Mobile connectivity increasingly important in Asia, with 83 per cent of the respondents in this region owning a mobile phone with Internet access. This echoes Nielsen’s latest report, which states that smartphone penetration in Asia Pacific is booming, with a number of markets here already surpassing those of the US and Europe.
Said Clarence Lin, head of marketing, APAC, AsiaRooms.com, which recently launched a mobile app for on-the-go bookings: “Consumers are increasingly connected as well as demanding greater convenience at their fingertips, and this trend is here to stay…We see travel and mobility as big passion points for consumers in Asia and will continue to extend our reach relevantly in the marketplace.”
