Asian travellers prefer shorter stays, new study reveals
Travellers in the Asia Pacific region are increasingly favouring holidays closer to home, according to a new study by Visa.
In its latest ‘Global Travel Intentions Study’, Visa found that travellers in the Asia Pacific are likely to spend fewer days at a destination (an average of eight days) than those from any other region. Just 35% of Asia Pacific travellers stay at a destination for seven or more nights, below the global average of 48%.
And Asia Pacific travellers lead the world in terms of taking shorter trips, with 32% staying three to four nights in a destination and 11% staying only one to two nights. According to Visa, this suggests “a strong preference for short trips close to home”.
But the move towards shorter stays also appears to be global trend; the study found an overall decline in the number of travellers choosing to take long-haul flights (nine hours or more) in favour of short-haul flights (four hours or less).
Twenty-three percent of respondents reported taking long-haul flights on their most recent trip, down from 29% in 2013, while the number of respondents who reported taking shorter flights rose from 43% to 46%. On average, global travellers spent seven hours of travelling time on their most recent trip.
Sixty-four percent of travellers who participated in the study chose to fly economy class on a full-service airline, while low-cost carriers accounted for 20% of trips.
It also appears that longer stays (seven or more nights) are most popular with affluent travellers (54%), while short breaks (one to two nights) are more popular with first-time travellers (11%).
In terms of accommodation, in Asia Pacific, hotels and resorts (82%) are by far the most popular choice, followed by hostels/guest houses/chalets/B&Bs (18%) and staying with friends and relatives (12%).
At their destination, Asia Pacific travellers were found to prefer shopping (68%), including 26% who shop for luxury items. Other popular activities included visiting local sites (62%) and dining famous restaurants (50%).
