Global travel platform Skyscanner has released its latest Horizons report, providing valuable insights into booking trends, destination preferences, and trending travel hotspots across the APAC regions for June to August 2024. The report reveals a significant shift in traveller behaviour, with a notable increase in booking windows compared to the previous year.
Travellers across the APAC region are displaying greater confidence by planning trips further ahead, marking a return to traditional seasonality in travel for 2024. Notably, there has been a 2 per cent rise in bookings made over 90 days in advance, with booking windows of two months or more constituting over a third of the demand in the APAC region.
Preference for Intra-Regional Travel
APAC travellers are showing a preference for intra-regional destinations, with a decline in trips to Europe compared to previous years. The region is witnessing a resurgence in seat capacity, prompting travellers to opt for short or medium-haul trips, including domestic travel, as a budget-conscious approach to manage costs effectively.
Shorter Trip Lengths and Popular Destinations
The report highlights that average trip lengths to popular destinations are either slightly down or remaining flat compared to the previous year across all regions. In APAC, well-known European and US cities continue to be top choices, with Athens experiencing a notable increase in trip length. Tokyo stands out as the only destination with a single-digit trip length among the trending places.
Emerging Trending Destinations
APAC travellers are exploring new and trending destinations, with notable increases in search volumes recorded for New Delhi, India, and Shanghai, China. Other trending destinations include Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Victoria, Canada. Pangkalan Bun in Borneo, Indonesia, has seen an increase in average trip length, indicating growing interest in this unique destination.
Commenting on the insights, Zeynep Mutlu Bigalı, Head of Destination Partnerships at Skyscanner, said, “Our latest Horizon insights reveal a travel landscape that is both familiar and evolving. Travellers are seeking value and exploring options closer to home, while popular destinations continue to attract attention. Skyscanner anticipates sustained demand throughout the summer, especially in regions like North Asia.”
Skyscanner has experienced record travel demand in 2024, surpassing the global flights market and emerging as the fastest-growing metasearch platform in 2023. The company said it remains a strategic partner for leading brands, airlines, and DMOs, leveraging data intelligence to promote destinations, develop AI travel tools, and facilitate the launch of new routes based on traveller insights.
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The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) took center stage in New Delhi during SATTE 2024 and showcased Thailand‘s diverse tourism offerings, aiming to position the country as a quality and safe destination for Indian travellers.
Addressing the Amazing Thailand press meet in New Delhi on the eve of SATTE 2024, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, talked about Thailand’s commitment to delivering valuable experiences to Indian visitors through soft powers, promoting the country as an all-year-round destination.
India remains a crucial market for Thailand, with 1.62 million travellers recorded in 2023, generating over 63 billion Baht in revenue. This year, TAT targets 80 billion Baht in revenue from approximately 1.74 million Indian travellers.
To inspire Indian travellers, the Thai government waived tourist visas for Indian citizens until May 10, 2024, and is enhancing connectivity between the two countries.
During the press brief, TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool outlined key strategies to achieve revenue targets, including subsidy schemes for incentive groups, joint promotions with airlines and travel agents, and participation in travel trade exhibitions in Mumbai and New Delhi.
She said that TAT’s marketing activities will cater to various segments, including families, millennials, wedding and celebration groups, golfers, luxury travellers, and incentive groups. “New initiatives target emerging segments such as senior citizens, women travellers, adventure sports enthusiasts, Gen Z, and LGBTQIA+ travellers.
“Additionally, TAT is working to promote lesser-known Thai destinations like Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, and Khao Yai alongside new offerings like EmSphere shopping mall, Thai Bus Food Tour in Bangkok, three UNESCO sites in Nakhon Ratchasima; and Andamanda Phuket waterpark and Carnival Magic theme park in Phuket,” she mentioned.
In terms of infrastructure, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) has expanded passenger handling capacity at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Chiang Mai International Airport. Phuket International Airport is set for expansion, while a new airport in Phang-nga is under consideration. Two new motorway projects aim to enhance interprovincial travel convenience by 2025.
India holds significant importance for Malaysia, serving as its fifth largest source of tourists. In 2023, Malaysia welcomed 17.8 million tourist arrivals, with 587,703 originating from India. The robust air connectivity between the two countries, with 181 weekly flights offering 33,851 seats, further facilitates travel and strengthens bilateral ties between both nations.
Interprovincial travel is set to be more convenient with two new motorway projects – the M6 motorway, connecting to Nakhon Ratchasima, and the M81 motorway, connecting to Kanchanaburi – slated to be ready for public use in 2025.Thapanee also highlighted TAT’s ‘PASS strategy’ to drive high-value and sustainable tourism, focusing on partnership efforts, digital transformation, subculture movement, and sustainable practices.
In 2023, Thailand welcomed over 28 million foreign visitors, generating 1.2 trillion Baht in revenue. The top five visitor markets by the number of arrivals were Malaysia, China, South Korea, India, and Russia.
Between January 1 and February 15, 2024, Thailand recorded 4.87 million foreign arrivals, generating over 215 billion Baht. The top five markets were China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, and India. For the entire year, TAT has set an overall revenue target of 3 trillion Baht, comprising 1.92 trillion Baht from international tourism and 1.08 trillion Baht from domestic tourism.
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