ONLINE travel portal Agoda has seen a significant increase in bookings to off the beaten path destinations by independent Chinese travellers using their platform.
The city of Dumaguete in the Philippines, known for diving excursions, whale-watching cruises and cultural sites, saw the highest spike of 805 per cent in bookings in 2015 compared to 2014.
Yufu in Japan, Koh Lanta in Thailand, and Asahikawa in Japan are the next most popular destinations with a 239 per cent, 219 per cent, and 204 per cent year-on-year increase in 2015 bookings respectively. Yufu’s hot springs, Koh Lanta’s day trips to island hideaways, as well as Asahikawa’s winter celebrations continue to generate buzz among adventurous travellers.
Japan’s Nagoya and Beppu come up next with a 187 per cent and 161 per cent jump in bookings respectively, thanks to Nagoya’s cultural sites and local food, and Beppu’s unique mud springs.
Other destinations frequented include Nha Trang in Vietnam, Krabi in Thailand and Nagano and Takayama in Japan.
