Western European markets are showing the strongest demand Accessible, friendly and affordable destinations are the top priority Indonesia wants Europeans to explore deeper, while Malaysia wants digital content and Strengthen trade engagement
Thailand was the top destination in Asia-Pacific for Eastern and Western Europeans in 2023 (pictured)
There is a resurgence of interest in traveling to Asia Pacific among European travelers, with Western European markets showing the strongest interest in the region.
According to market research firm Euromonitor International, preliminary data on the number of international travelers from Europe for the full year 2023 shows that 9.1 million people will travel from Eastern Europe to Asia Pacific, and 1,870 people will travel from Western Europe to Asia Pacific. It has become a million people. This corresponds to 65 percent and 71 percent of pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
The top destinations for Eastern Europeans in the region in 2023 are Thailand (1.1 million), China (995,200), Indonesia (410,900), India (291,200), and Vietnam (290,000). 1,100 people). The remaining destinations in the top 10 are in Central Asia, consisting of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Among Western Europeans, the top 10 destinations chart is dominated by well-known Asia-Pacific tourist attractions. In terms of number of tourists from Western Europe, Thailand was in pole position with 3.6 million, followed by Pakistan (2 million, high numbers including diaspora Pakistanis), India (1.7 million), Japan (1.3 million) and China (1.1 million). people) followed by Indonesia (1.1 million people). ), Singapore (1 million people). Vietnam (835,100 people), the Philippines (662,100 people), and the Maldives (655,600 people).
Euromonitor International predicts further growth in the number of tourists from both Eastern and Western Europe to Asia-Pacific, reaching 10.9 million and 24.2 million respectively in 2024.
Travel intelligence firm Forward Keys also shares a similar observation that European interest in the Asia-Pacific region is improving, but the recovery in 2023 will be primarily driven by key segments such as VFR, expatriate, and business. It was done.
The UK will be the most resilient European source market to Asia Pacific in 2023.
Looking ahead to H1 2024, the European origin markets driving the recovery in Asia Pacific are Spain (+14% compared to 2019), Italy (-3% compared to 2019), and Germany (4% compared to 2019). decrease). ), Russia (down 9% compared to 2019), France (down 13% compared to 2019).
Olivier Ponty, director of intelligence and marketing at ForwardKeys, acknowledged that the speed of recovery will vary considerably across European markets.
“Some (European) markets are reinvigorating faster than others. A good example is Spain, which is already seeing an increase in bookings compared to pre-pandemic. Spain’s rapid recovery in outbound is due to “This has a lot to do with the re-establishment of air connectivity and the aggressive marketing campaigns that some destinations in the Asia-Pacific region have carried out to attract Spanish tourists,” he elaborated.
“This is a success story because it shows that destinations can make a real difference by investing in activities that reignite travel demand,” he told TTG Asia.
Commenting on the Asia-Pacific region being most loved by European travelers, Ponti said the weaker yen was working in Japan’s favor. The destination recorded a “staggering” 14% increase compared to his 2019 as travelers sought more affordable destinations amid rising airfares.
Other top destinations include India (up 10% from 2019), Maldives (up 8% from 2019), Indonesia (up 4% from 2019), and Thailand (down 6% from 2019), according to ForwardKeys data. ) including 2019 and above).
“Although China continues to lag behind (down 25% compared to 2019), it still has potential, especially as it allows visa-free entry to European nationals,” Ponti said.
Airplane Connectivity, War Affecting Growth Potential
Ponti said Asia remains a “very attractive destination for European travelers,” but the pace of recovery in air connectivity and the impact of the war will impact Asia’s ability to attract even more tourists from Europe this year. I warned you.
Ponti said, “There is demand for travel, but there are not enough aircraft to meet that demand, and some airlines are reallocating aircraft to more profitable routes.” “Air connectivity with key origin markets needs to be rebuilt for easy access,” it added. All while ensuring that airfares are not too expensive. ”
He warned that rising airfares would “kill demand” and put “limits to growth” in international arrivals.
On the other hand, the Ukraine war will prevent many Western airlines from using Russian airspace, leading to longer flight times, higher fuel consumption and therefore higher airfares, Ponti added.
Due to the weak yen, Japan remains popular among European travelers.Photo of the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo
Indonesia wants to decentralize
Indonesian tourism organizations have great interest in European source markets, as recent increases in long-haul flight capacity have increased demand for European travel.
Humberto Kadamuro, chief operating officer of Indonesia’s Pact, told TTG Asia: “Despite the challenges facing the European economy, customers continue to show strong interest in traveling. , compared to other regions of the world, Southeast Asia stands out in terms of quality and price.”
For Pact, bookings from the Netherlands and Italy are strongest among the long-haul markets.
Driven by the continued increase in bookings, Cadamro is stepping up its marketing in Europe and will soon open a new representative office in Spain.
Panorama Destination business development director Ricky Setiawant said demand from Europe is growing faster than airlines can resume service.
Illustrating the high level of interest in Indonesia, Ricky said one Dutch agent reported that Indonesia ranked second in sales after South Africa at a recent travel expo.
“This year there will be 140 groups (from the Netherlands), but our partners said there could be more if there were more seats,” he said.
Besides the popular Bali, Europeans are also attracted to Yogyakarta and Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara, driven by the popularity of Komodo Island, where Kadamuro is observed.
Leonardus Nyoman, owner and director of Flores Exotic Tours, admitted that the number of arrivals to Labuan Bajo in Flores has increased significantly, making Komodo Islands too crowded. Luckily, there’s more to Flores to explore, and his European clients appreciate the unique cycling, photography and bird-watching tours in remote areas.
Ricky hopes that promotions led by the Indonesian government will highlight destinations other than Bali and help disperse tourists.
Malaysia strengthens partnership
Tourism Malaysia has been busy this year with online marketing and travel agency collaborations as it looks to further grow in key European markets.
The Southeast Asian destination recorded more than 100% growth in the first 11 months of 2023 in its strongest European market. December arrivals data is still pending at the time of this writing.
The top five European source markets for Malaysia are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
In sharing the tourism board’s marketing plans with TTG Asia, a Tourism Malaysia spokesperson said digital platforms were key.
He elaborated as follows: “Social media will play a key role in engaging German-speaking and other European audiences. We are working with key opinion leaders, influencers and content creators to increase reach and engagement. We have also started creating interactive digital brochures and maps for Malaysian tourist destinations, in line with the tourism industry trends where visual experiences and materials are key.”
Tourism Malaysia’s office in Frankfurt has teamed up with German travel agency Deltouristic to provide German-speaking international travel agents working or planning to market Malaysia. We are running a 52 week e-learning program. It started in June.
Another ongoing initiative is to collaborate with Germany’s OTA Journaway.com to promote Malaysia through the agency’s online catalogue.
Other destination marketing activities include joint marketing support with airline partners and family travel for select outbound agents and media. – Additional reporting by Mimi Hudoyo and S Puvaneswary
