BEACH getaways and upscale hotels are the top vacation destinations for well-heeled Asia-Pacific families, according to a Visa survey.
Researching the travel patterns of 500 affluent consumers in Asia-Pacific, the Visa Affluent Study 2015 found that 82 per cent of respondents have travelled with their families in the past 12 months.
Over the same period, respondents rank Japan, Hong Kong and Australia as the most popular destinations. The region’s most frequent wealthy travellers are from Singapore and China, with 3.1 trips each, followed by Hong Kong with 2.8 trips and India with 2.0 trips.
When asked about their main activities when travelling abroad, 44 per cent of respondents said their top pick was relaxing on a beach, followed by 36 per cent choosing to shop in popular or large shopping centres and 35 per cent wanting to explore landmarks independently.
But there were differences according to source markets – relaxing on a beach was the most popular activity among respondents from China, Indonesia and India, while the rich from Hong Kong and Japan are the most likely to have travelled to explore landmarks independently. Those from Japan, China and Singapore tend to follow the food trails to local restaurants.
When it comes to accommodation, wealthy travellers prefer upscale hotels (48 per cent) and luxury hotels (39 per cent) over mid-scale hotels (35 per cent). Chinese holidaymakers topped the list of being the swankiest stayers, with 67 per cent choosing upscale hotels and 55 per cent picking luxury hotels.
The survey also found that boutique hotels are the most popular with respondents from Australia (49 per cent), followed by Hong Kong and China at 24 per cent each.
