AUSTRALIA
Gary Paterson, general manager, global sales & marketing, The AOT Group
Visiting families from Asia are still finding Australia the perfect getaway destination as it does not require long flights, and only about three to five nights away from home.

We see families today as being much more independent than ever before. They undertake more research online before they arrive, and look for cool new things on offer in a destination, for instance an arts festival like Vivid Sydney or the Night Noodle Markets in Melbourne.

The growing abundance of hotel apartments in Australia also offers families a huge selection of accommodation conveniently located in the city centre. What is also often surprising for Asian visitors is the wide array of Asian cuisines on offer, as well as the range of world famous restaurants in Australia.

INDIA
Kapil Goswamy, managing director, Trans India Holidays
Previously, India was perceived as a destination for mature travellers or couples. Fortunately, this perception has changed in recent years, and we are seeing a large number of families with young children visiting India these days.

Parents realise that in addition to seeing monuments or learning about the country’s history, activities such as trekking in the Himalayas, or going on a wildlife safari in one of the many national parks, will be interesting for children as well.

These trips will also allow for a digital detox, giving the family time to bond.

Almost every tourist destination in India has child-friendly activities, such as a Segway tour in Delhi, a hot air balloon ride in Jaipur, or mountain biking in Shimla. Beach holidays in Goa remain popular as well, but wildlife holidays and village walks are rising in popularity.

JAPAN
Tsunehisa Kumagai, sales manager, Tonichi Travel Service
This year, we have seen an increase in the number of foreign tourists coming to Japan in family groups, and this is due, in part, to the terrorist attacks in Europe.

We deal primarily with inbound travellers from North America and families, who in previous years would go to Paris, Barcelona or London. It’s safe here and they know it. And that is very important to them when they are with their children.

Families want to experience authentic Japanese culture – the cuisine, history, temples and so on, but youngsters are also keen to see Japanese anime and manga culture. The US has its own theme parks, so that is not a big draw for visitors from North America, but theme parks are more popular with families from other parts of Asia and Australia.

MALAYSIA
Saini Vermeulen, executive director, Within Earth Holidays
Middle Eastern families on holiday look for hotels and villas with private pools as they value privacy, especially for the women, and Malaysia has a growing number of such resorts to choose from.

The country also gets many repeat visitors from the Middle East region, and such visitors tend to book their transfers and tours online, and make their own travel arrangements. They may use the services of a tour operator for arrival transfers only.

However, first time visitors from the Middle East travelling with children continue to require the services of a travel agent as they are unfamiliar with the destination.

For the Middle East market, travelling with extended families, including grandparents, and doing things together, has always been the norm, especially during the summer season, where stays can extend to two to three weeks.

In Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur remains popular for shopping, while Penang and Langkawi are popular beach destinations.

PHILIPPINES
Gigi Jamora, operations manager, Blue Horizons Travel and Tours
It’s always Boracay. Bohol and Cebu are also options, and the markets that we deal with always prefer top-end resorts. Families come from India, the Middle East, Europe and China although the latter are mainly couples.

The market segments that we deal with, luckily for us, are aware how far hot spots like Mindanao are from Manila.

Depending upon the kids’ age brackets, families with toddlers prefer attractions that are safe come with child-minding services and playgrounds such as the Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna and the J Waterpark in Cebu. Those with teens prefer island hopping, especially with water activities, as well as kayaking and trekking.

SINGAPORE
Joseph Sze, project director, Siam Express
Families are preferring more semi-FIT packages, where they go online and research for places to visit, and hunt down these locales after they break away from the group.
Hawker centres in the heartlands such as Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio and Tiong Bahru are becoming popular with families during the free-and-easy portion of their visit, as well as handicraft shops in Haji Lane and Little India, where tourists can get products they cannot find in their own countries.

THAILAND
Chotechuang Soorangura, associate managing director, NS Travel & Tours
Foreign tourists see Thailand as a cheap destination with great food. Families who travel to the kingdom usually choose destinations outside Bangkok for activities. Usually, a family group would consist of many generations; this is common in Indian families.
We’ve also seen Chinese families combine family holidays with business, where they come to Thailand to spend time with their loved ones, while taking some time to explore potential business opportunities.

The top three destinations in the country are Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai. The beaches of Thailand are famous among foreign visitors, so they prefer to spend more time in the southern part of the country as compared to the north.

AUSTRALIA
Sue Henderson, product and crisis communications manager,  Flight Centre Travel Group
Australian families nowadays tend to combine relaxation/resort travel with soft adventure.
The ‘flop and drop’ beach holiday is still popular, but many families are opting to combine this with more adventurous and cultural activities. Vietnam is particularly popular for this at the moment, as it is a reasonably priced destination and there are numerous direct flight options out of Australia.

We also see extended families or a number of families travelling together. Larger family groups (or multiple families) are travelling together more often.

The popularity of villa and apartment style accommodation in places like Bali has increased as these customers like the idea of a home away from home. The accommodation is self contained which enables everyone to stay together and they have pools. Adults don’t have to leave the poolside to put down the kids down for nap.

As well, we are seeing more requests from families for escorted adventure tours to countries like Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and India. Parents also see these as great educational opportunities for their kids and appreciate the value of expert guides who help to showcase the best attractions. An escorted tour also removes the challenge of arranging their own transport when travelling with children.

HONG KONG
Alex Lee, general manager, Miramar Travel Service
Overall, the frequency of family travel has increased, from one to twice per year. Top destinations include countries in South-east Asia and South Korea, due to Korean TV shows and affordable cosmetic shopping.

Meanwhile, families with higher spending power opt for Dubai – which is trending for 2018 – because of the availability of a ski venue, water sports, as well as 4WD desert tours.
Though cruise holidays have been aggressively promoted, it still can’t win over family travellers who prefer to travel by air, as cruises are not as frequent as air flights.

Another trend is that family groups are also requesting more free time – to go where they want to go and do what they want to do – on tour programmes. It’s a must and there must be at least one to two such days or they won’t consider joining the package tour.

INDIA
Nishant Pitti, CEO & co-founder, EaseMyTrip.com
Indian families are taking more multigenerational trips, especially tours with grandchildren, to explore new destinations.

We are also seeing a boost in the number of adventure trips. These are very popular among Indian families, where millennials usually affect the travel decisions the most. These families usually avoid going to a destination which has political unrest or tension.

Rejuvenation has also become an important aspect for Indian families when deciding on a destination, hence resorts that offer detox or wellness are rising in popularity.

Popular destinations for Indian families include Morocco, Oman, Jordan, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam and Seychelles.

JAPAN
Yusuke Asami, manager, outbound travel marketing and strategy department, JTB Corp
Japanese families are pretty predictable and we saw strong demand for Hawaii again this summer. To be honest, it has been like this for a long time and I do not expect this to ever change.

Typically they go for four or five days and do things together as a family, whether it be sightseeing, shopping, relaxing on the beach or eating out. For Japanese families, the most important thing is to make happy memories together.

A new trend we see emerging this year is that some travellers want to do things they have never done before, but they don’t want to be too adventurous or to spend too much money. That has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of cruises that are available around Japan, so families are taking cruises to other parts of Japan, as well as to South Korea and Taiwan. We see this as the start of a new wave, especially if prices remain reasonable.

Meanwhile, longhaul holidays are not really an option for Japanese families, primarily because of the cost, and the amount of holiday time that most Japanese working people do not have.

In the past, Guam and Saipan used to be very popular – they have good hotels and beaches, and it is only a couple of hours flight from Japan – but prices have risen steeply in the last couple of years. People who might have gone to Micronesia in the past, are now going to Okinawa instead.

MALAYSIA
Adam Kamal, CEO, Olympik Holidays
There is a growing trend of Malaysians booking their seats online to save costs. In the past, the older generation of travellers used to come to us for flight bookings. But we have seen their numbers reduce over the last three years, and now they only buy ground packages (hotels and tours) from us.

There is also a growing trend where clients come to us with their own itinerary. This is especially common among millennial parents with children. They have done their research online and know which places they want to visit while on holiday, and just require us to arrange transfers and a guide. However, the older generation of travellers remain content to follow our group series departures with fixed itineraries.

There is also a growing trend where young families with children tend to go on holidays with close friends who also have children. This is so that costs on private tours can be shared.

Visiting South-east Asian countries are most popular among the middle income group of travellers, where holidays are usually short stays with a minimum of three nights. Popular destinations are Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok and Bandung for shopping, Batam for resort stays, and Lombok and Phuket for the beach.

PHILIPPINES
Lyn Galon, consultant, Scorpio Travel
Outbound family travel this year is a bit weak compared with the surge in 2014 and 2015.
Japan remains a strong destination – though expensive, it is perceived to be safe. There have been many enquiries about Australia, New Zealand and the Holy Land as well.
Families usually look for destinations with theme parks, not so much for beaches as we have many in the Philippines.

Multigenerational travel is common, usually with a complete family (parents and kid/infants), and an uncle or aunt thrown in. Average group sizes are usually about seven to nine pax.

SINGAPORE
William Loh, operation manager, Farmosa Holiday Tour
Cruises and FlyCruise packages are on the rise with families, especially multigenerational ones.

For example, bookings for sailings in February 2018 started pouring in from February 2017. It’s a very hot market now. Singaporeans like new experiences, and cruises are fresh. Younger couples stick to shorter sailings around the region, while older generations are open to longer cruises.

A self-drive holiday in Australia is also popular, especially among young families who prefer to travel at their own pace. Flights to Australia are getting more affordable as well, contributing to its popularity. Interest is spread evenly across Tasmania, Melbourne, Sydney and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.

For year-end winter destinations, South Korea is a shining destination as it’s one of the most affordable winter countries with ski resorts, especially for families who have never seen snow or skied before.

THAILAND
Mongkol Thitawannoned, manager, Miracle Time Travel
This year, Thai family travel usually comprises a few generations, and they like cheap tours (up to 20,000 baht [US$602] per person), and usually choose Asian countries. This trend will probably continue into 2018.

Hot destinations for such families include Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Japan is the top destination for Thai travellers as they perceive the country to have everything – good weather, good food, interesting tourist attractions, and it is also a perfect place for shopping.