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Asia travel is expected to continue its post-pandemic boom this year, and here are some of the things that are shaping travel on the continent.
— Rashard Jorden
Asia Pacific is expected to play a key role in the growth of the travel industry this year. Skift Research predicted that outbound travel from China is expected to increase significantly, with travel revenues in the region expected to increase by 20% year-on-year in 2024.
So what are the top travel trends in Asia? We posed the question to artificial intelligence chatbot Ask Skift. Ask Skift used information published in past reporting and research. Additional reports were also made.
Ask Skift:
Asia’s top travel trends for 2024 and beyond will be shaped by several key factors.
China’s resurgence: China leads the Asia-Pacific region in travel, and other countries that rely on Chinese travelers, such as Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia, are also seeing improvements. Contrary to expectations, travel volumes from China did not recover immediately after borders reopened, but the number of Chinese outbound travelers is expected to increase by 80% in 2024 and further increase by 46% in 2025. A significant recovery is expected.
India’s travel industry is thriving: India’s travel industry is gaining momentum and India is expected to become the third largest domestic and fifth largest international travel market by 2027. The number of Indian tourists visiting Vietnam has increased significantly, making India one of the top 10 countries. Vietnam’s inbound market.
Emerging hotspots: Cities such as Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei City, and Osaka are emerging as the most popular travel destinations in 2024.
Impact of large-scale tourism events: Events such as the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, India and the Coldplay concert in Singapore are boosting the travel industry in these regions, and the impact of large-scale tourism events on travel performance. It highlights the impact.
Airfare increases: Airfares for flights to Asia have increased by 45% compared to 2019, indicating the potential premium that tourists will have to pay to travel to Asia in 2024. I am.
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What else you need to know:
Travelers from Asia-Pacific countries are increasingly choosing to go cashless. According to Visa’s 2023 Global Travel Intentions Survey, the number of travelers from the region using cash has fallen by 60% due to the pandemic.
Japan will ban the use of cash at Expo 2025 Osaka, and all visitors will have to pay for shopping, dining and other activities with a dedicated smartphone app or credit or smart card. It is predicted that approximately 28 million people will visit the Expo in six months from April 2025.
Demand for vacation rentals is also increasing in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Trip101, a start-up that provides travel recommendations, data from 16 Asian countries reveals that vacation rental bookings increased by 84% between 2022 and 2023. Ta.
Asian travelers are becoming more experiential when it comes to the activities they participate in while traveling. According to MMGY Travel Intelligence’s 2023 Asia International Traveler Portrait Survey report, around 77% of those surveyed said they want to invest more in unique and new experiences in their travel destinations.
Last November, Skift reported that Chinese travelers were particularly interested in experiential experiences, and Asia editor Peden Doma Bhutia said their desire for experiential travel and cultural experiences was growing at record speed. He writes that his desire to visit many destinations exceeds his desire.
Finally, visa-free travel is booming in the region, with Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore all waiving visa requirements for Chinese travelers. These moves benefited the three Southeast Asian destinations as Chinese tourist numbers and spending exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels during the recent Lunar New Year holidays.
China has long been a major tourism market for Southeast Asian countries. Approximately 11 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in 2019, accounting for more than a quarter of all Chinese visitors to Thailand in the same year.
The Chinese government has also removed visa requirements for visitors from certain countries. Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced earlier this month that the Chinese government would allow citizens of Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg to enter the country without visas from March 14. Since July 2023, China has granted visa exemptions to travelers from 15 countries.
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Ask Skift is an AI chatbot for the travel industry
Dive deeper into your travel business with Skift’s new AI chatbot.
Ask Skift a Question
Photo credit: Japan, like many destinations in Asia, is predicted to experience a tourism boom in 2024.
