5 Asia Travel Trends That Are Shaking Global Tourism

Asia travel trends are driving change across the world. Newly affluent Asian consumers are travelling more frequently at home, around the region and globally, and investors are following in their footsteps. From January to April 2018, international arrivals in Asia Pacific increased by 8% year on year, according to the UNWTO, with South East Asia recording 10% growth and South Asia up 9%.

As developing trends from Beijing to Mumbai and Penang to Phnom Penh resonate far and wide, Gary Bowerman, Director of Check-in Asia, provides an update on the shifting dynamics in Asian travel and tourism.

It’s All About China: China is the tourism industry’s golden child, and its free-spending globetrotters are courted by every destination on earth. In 2018, Chinese outbound border crossings could top 150 million, and the year got off to a strong start. During the Spring Festival holiday in February, 6.5 million Chinese travellers jetted off to 730 cities in 68 destinations, noted the China Tourism Academy. In the first four months of 2018, 4.2 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, while Vietnam recorded 1.8 million Chinese arrivals. China is now the leading tourism source market for more than 10 countries, and that figure is set to sky rocket. Expect more destinations to break their annual Chinese arrivals records when the 2018 statistics are released in January 2019.

Indian Tourism Expands: Asia’s second pillar economy is starting to make its tourism presence felt. Around 22 million Indians travelled overseas in 2017, a figure predicted to reach 50 million by 2020, says the UNWTO. Indian air traffic growth is outpacing every other country, according to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation – rising six fold, to 265 million passengers in 2016, compared with 44 million in 2008. In 2018, Indian domestic air travellers are expected to exceed 300 million. New flight routes, particularly to destinations in South East Asia and Australia – which hit a benchmark of 300,000 Indian arrivals (originally set for 2020) in 2017, and is targeting AUD1.9 billion in visitor spend by 2020 – make India a white-hot emerging tourism market to watch.

A Boom in Domestic Travel: Domestic tourism is booming across Asia, especially in India and China – whose vast populations are taking off to explore their continental sized landscapes. In South East Asia, short breaks and weekend trips are enhanced by proliferating low-cost carrier route networks. Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea have launched initiatives to encourage citizens to explore more of their own countries, while Malaysia witnessed 11.1% growth in domestic travel spend in 2017. In Japan, Airbnb partnered with Peach Aviation and All Nippon Airways to inspire Japanese vacationers to pack a suitcase and spend valuable time and money discovering their homeland.

Is Asian Tourism Out of Control?: Overtourism is becoming the most critical issue in global travel. Tourism overcrowding at peak season in cities like Venice, Amsterdam and Dubrovnik has resulted in demonstrations by local residents. In Asia, surging tourist numbers have made overtourism a coming storm. New airports are being built across the region to provide essential extra capacity, while small towns and cities like Penang, Luang Prabang and Siem Reap are struggling to cope with tourism numbers. Meanwhile, the closure in April 2018 of Boracay island in the Philippines and Maya Beach in Thailand plus reports of black waves laced with sewage in Phuket have made global headlines. It seems Asia’s overtourism story is only just beginning.

Muslim Millennials Take Off: Young Muslim tourists are a coveted demographic for destinations across Asia. This is especially relevant in South East Asia, which comprises the world’s largest national muslim population in Indonesia, and Malaysia, which counts a Muslim majority population. Both countries attract large numbers of Muslim travellers from the Middle East, while Japan and Korea are among the nations promoting halal travel initiatives. More than one-third (36%) of the world’s 121 million Muslim travellers in 2016 were aged under 38, and Muslim millennials are estimated to spend USD100 billion annually on travel by 2025. The challenge is on for destination, hospitality and airline marketers to create services and amenities that respond to faith-based needs and sate the desire for exploration and new discoveries.

 

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