Singaporeans Travel the Furthest Compared to Their Asia-Pacific Neighbours, New agoda Research Finds

agoda’s global Travel and Tech Study finds vastly different traveling preferences amongst neighbouring APAC countries.

They may be close neighbours, but recent research from agoda finds travelers across the APAC region have opposing notions about where to take their holidays.

The global Travel and Tech Study shows Singaporean travelers took an average of 3.1 international trips in the last 12 months,making them the most inclined to globetrot compared to their APAC neighbours in Malaysia, The Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand, who all averaged between 1.1 and 1.7 overseas trips in the past year.

When it came to domestic travel, Thailand and the Philippines are the most enamoured with their own backyard, averaging 5.1 and 4.4 local trips in the last 12 months. Indonesia and Malaysia were close behind with an average of 3.9 and 3.4 trips, whereas Australia and Singapore only managed 2.7 and 1.1 domestic trips in the past year.

The award for the most avid travelers overall in APAC went to Thailand, with an average of 6.8 trips per year, including 5.1 domestic and 1.7 overseas trips. With Thailand’s lively tourist industry and natural beauty, it’s not surprising the Thai like to explore their own country so much.

Singapore
The findings suggest that Singaporeans, who are known foodies and shopaholics, were keenest to globetrot, using their centralised location in the region to full advantage of going overseas frequently. Foreign countries appeared more frequently in its top 10 destinations, compared to Malaysia and The Philippines, with Singaporeans nominating Bangkok Thailand, Johor Bahru Malaysia and Batam Island Indonesia within their top five travel destinations. 

Malaysia
The findings suggest that the high number of overseas and domestic trips taken by Malaysians point to the growing disposable income of the population, who are looking to spend more on recreation and culture. Ever keen to explore their own country, the 10 most popular destinations for Malaysians are all located in their own country, with Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Malacca taking out the top three.

The Philippines
Findings suggest that Filipinos are keenest to explore their own country, with locals clearly taking advantage of the beautiful beaches and scenery on offer in their home country by choosing one of the many local holiday options, with the top three local destinations for Filipinos being Manila, Cebu, and Boracay Island. 

Andrew Edwards, agoda’s Global Director for Brand and Communications, commented: “It’s interesting to see the differences between travellers across the region but perhaps what’s as meaningful is the fact that people are travelling more and more. It shows that travel is becoming more important to people all over Asia-Pacific, so as we increase the number of properties available on agoda, there is also a growth in demand.”

www.agoda.com