International travel are off the cards for Asia-Pacific travellers this Lunar New Year, traditionally a peak travel period across the region.
According to Agoda’s data, domestic destinations are set to enjoy the spotlight during the upcoming holiday period, with travellers keen to discover off-the-beaten-track destinations and revisit traditional tourist hotspots on home ground.
Across the region, family or group travel is the most popular traveller type, as many people plan to celebrate the Lunar New Year with loved ones. This is especially so for Thai and Indonesian travellers in particular, with families and friend groups taking over couples as the top traveller type this year, as compared to last year’s festivities.
However, couples took over group or families as the most popular Lunar New Year traveller type in mainland China this year, and continued to dominate the top spot for Japan and the Philippines. In Japan, solo travellers remained the second most popular traveller type.
There is also an upward trend in the search and bookings for Agoda Homes – non-hotel accommodation that offer more ‘home comfort’ facilities including kitchens, as well as separate living and sleeping spaces.
Some travellers in the region are also pampering themselves with more high-end stays. In particular, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese travellers are taking advantage of value deals to upgrade to four- or five-star accommodation to celebrate this year, while Chinese travellers maintain their desire for luxury stays.
While hotels continue to rank higher than non-hotel accommodation, the latter has grown in popularity with travellers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Timothy Hughes, vice president corporate development at Agoda, said: “Just like the mythical Ox of the Chinese zodiac, the Asian traveller is proving their resilience and strength this Lunar New Year through their determination to get away and make the most of domestic travel opportunities.
“In a change from non-Covid times, our data shows us that beach and countryside spots are more popular than capital city breaks and high-energy destinations. People want to reward their hard work and resilience with upgraded stays in top-class areas, be it beach destinations such as Phu Quoc or Boracay Island, scenic mountains like Khao Yai and Chiayi, or historic cultural destinations like Xi’an.”
