A STUDY commissioned by online review and booking site TripAdvisor has revealed several key preferences of Asia’s travellers in 2016.
One of the topline findings show that value is of utmost importance with one in four Asian travellers having chosen a destination due to cheap flights.
Meanwhile, 67 per cent will not consider a hotel that does not have air-conditioning, making it the number one deal-breaker for booking decisions. Lack of in-room Wi-Fi comes second with 46 per cent of travellers saying they will look elsewhere.
For Asians, a destination’s culture is the most popular reason cited when considering where to take a trip, with 42 per cent responding so, while globally, more than one in two travellers cite special offers as the key decision driver.
“Value is key for global travellers in 2016, as they look to get the most out of their trips. While a third plan to increase their travel budgets for next year, the majority of global travellers expect essential amenities to be included in the price of their hotel and more than half say special offers can play a big part in their choice of destination,” said Helena Egan, director, global industry relations at TripAdvisor.
According to the study, Australians are set to spend the most globally in 2016 with an average travel budget of US$10,900, followed by the Swiss ($10,100) and the Americans ($8,400).
Asian travellers will have more modest budgets, with Japan ranking the highest at $5,600 on average, followed by China ($3,600), India ($3,100), Thailand ($2,200), Malaysia ($2,100) and Indonesia ($1,400).
