Three different travel intent studies in 2025 have found positive interest in Asia-Pacific destinations
Despite ongoing global economic and political volatility, Asia-Pacific continues to demonstrate strong travel demand across both leisure and corporate segments.
Three sets of research by MMGY Global, Kearney, and FCM Consulting show travellers gravitating toward stable destinations and sustainability-aligned experiences, while the region’s competitive pricing continues to support corporate travel. Together, these insights highlight a sector that remains resilient and increasingly shaped by values, authenticity and cost competitiveness.
PATA’s second Issues and Trends Report 2025, authored by Simon Moriarty, vice president, syndicated research at MMGY Global, identifies favoured destinations and the reasons why travellers are drawn to them. Through a survey with 2,534 respondents from Germany, the UK, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India and China, it found Japan to be among the most favoured longhaul destinations.
Sixty-three per cent of American respondents and 59 per cent of Canadians expressed intent to visit Japan, while European interest rose from 51 per cent in 2023 to 55 per cent in 2025.
Japan’s combination of unique cultural, historical and modern attractions underpin its broad appeal for European travellers.
China, however, shows a more mixed demand profile. Travel intent rose 41 per cent among Saudi respondents and 36 per cent among Mexican respondents year-on-year, supported by simplified visa processes and perceptions of better value for money compared with the US or Europe.
In contrast, interest from Western markets remains subdued due to concerns relating to political safety, health risks and perceived restrictions on personal freedoms.
This divergence underscores how diplomatic ties and perceptions of political conditions shape traveller confidence.
India’s momentum is fuelled primarily by its domestic market. Moriarty shared that 53 per cent of Indians surveyed were more interested in travelling within the country compared to a year earlier, reflecting a growing middle class and rising confidence in domestic trips.
International intent to visit India is steady but moderated by a perception gap around safety and health.
Moriarty explained that as travel intent is influenced by perception, destination marketers have the opportunity to “develop conversations” with travellers to convey safety assurances.
He added that visitors want to experience India’s culture and landscapes “within the context of feeling safe, feeling comfortable, not going out of their comfort zone too much if they don’t want to”.
Affordability is another major draw, particularly for longhaul travellers, but Moriarty stressed the need to better communicate value. He noted that “cost effectiveness and affordability doesn’t mean a less important or less impactful holiday… it doesn’t mean a kind of cheap alternative”.
MMGY’s findings also show a shift away from traditional sightseeing towards deeper cultural immersion. Sustainability is also becoming a decisive factor in destination appeal, with travellers favouring businesses that demonstrate environmental responsibility and positive community impact.
Kearney’s 2024 report, In the Mind of Global Travelers, echoes these findings. Siddharth Pathak, senior partner and head of consumer industries and retail for Asia Pacific at Kearney, pointed out that 86 per cent of travellers globally, aged 25 to 34, favour eco-friendly options. Tourism players are responding accordingly – they are increasingly “educating travellers about the region’s sustainable ecosystem, showcasing locally-originated sustainable products, and integrating these seamlessly with the travel purpose”.
Pathak further observed that travel purpose strongly influences retail behaviour. Business travellers typically opt for click-and-collect or pre-order services, while leisure visitors prefer to browse and seek authentic local products or strong value buys.
He believes that this convergence of sustainability, local identity, and retail innovation is reshaping how travel retailers meet post-pandemic expectations.
Meanwhile, the FCM Consulting Insights Report identifies Asia as the world’s most cost-effective region for business travel. In the first half of 2025, the average hotel rate across Asia was US$170 per night, with total trip costs averaging US$972 – well below the global average of US$1,600.
This continues to fuel strong demand for corporate travel, meetings, and events across the region.
Domestic air travel capacity also remains high, led by China and India with passenger load factors of 84 per cent and 86 per cent respectively. Intense intra-regional competition is helping to maintain competitive fares, even as airlines face limited pressure to discount.
Bleisure travel – the blend of business and pleasure trips – continues to gain momentum, particularly in South-east Asia, as more business travellers extend work trips for short leisure breaks.
Bertrand Saillet, FCM Travel managing director, Asia, said: “Done well, this can be a positive win–win. Combining business with a leisure portion is a trend that is here to stay.”
He added that companies could support staff’s work-life balance while keeping costs in check by allowing leisure extensions – “provided the personal segment is cost-neutral for the organisation”.
The FCM Consulting Insights Report draws on corporate booking data from January to June 2025 from FCM Travel and Flight Centre Travel Group, supported by aviation data from Cirium.
