Bangkok--20 Dec--124 Communications
Japan, China and Hong Kong Continue to Rank as Most Preferred Destinations for Thai Travelers
One in four consumers across Asia/Pacific is looking to get their passport stamped and leave for a vacation in the coming six months, according to the findings from a MasterCard Survey. Japan continues to rank as the most popular travel destination, followed by China and Hong Kong for respondents in Thailand.
The latest survey was conducted from 13 September to 11 November 2010 and involved 10,502 consumers (400 Thais) from 24 markets across Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Data collection was via internet surveys, personal, telephone and Computer Aided Telephone interviews, with the questionnaire translated to the local language wherever appropriate and necessary. The Index and its accompanying reports do not represent MasterCard financial performance.
Key highlights from the survey include:
Asia/Pacific:
- Across Asia/Pacific, 23% of respondents surveyed are planning a holiday abroad in the next six months, compared to 24% in the previous survey. Slightly more than half (56%) of these respondents deemed international personal air travel as important to them.
- Among the Asia/Pacific markets, Hong Kong (58%), Singapore (45%) and Taiwan (35%) have the highest number of respondents looking to travel abroad in the next six months.
- The top five destinations for Asia/Pacific travelers are Japan (as indicated by 26% of respondents who plan to spend on travel in the next six months), China (21%), Australia (19%), Hong Kong (18%) and the United States (16%)
- More female respondents (24%) from Asia/Pacific are planning to spend on international personal air travel, compared to their male counterparts (21%) in the next six months.
- Travellers from India (88%), Japan (74%), Australia (73%), Hong Kong (67%) and New Zealand (67%) view international personal air travel as an important priority.
Thailand:
- A majority of Thai travelers are looking to travel within Asia/Pacific (91%). This is followed by respondents looking to visit Europe (33%), North America (24%) and Middle East (2%)
- The top destinations for Thai travelers are Japan (51%), China (31%), Hong Kong (27%), South Korea (22%), Singapore (15%) and United Kingdom (15%)
- A higher percentage of female travelers (59%) are looking to travel to Japan as compared to their male counterparts (42%). South Korea is the second most popular destination for female travelers (28%) looking to take a trip, while more male travelers are looking to visit China (35%). Hong Kong ranks as the third most popular destination for both male (31%) and female (24%) respondents, followed by the United States (24%) for female respondents and Singapore (19%) and the UK (19%) for male travelers.
- Japan remains the top destination for both singles (57%) and families (50%).
- South Korea (32%) is the second most popular destination for singles followed by China (25%), Hong Kong (21%) and United States of America (21%)
- China (45%) is the second most popular destination for families followed by Hong Kong (36%), Singapore (32%) and United States of America (21%)
“It is encouraging to see Thai consumers maintaining a strong appetite for travel, especially with continued interest for trips to destinations within the region. To make travelling more priceless and enjoyable, we have lined up attractive promotions and privileges for the upcoming travel season. For example, MasterCard cardholders can enjoy discounts of up to 7% for economy air tickets purchased online, when departing from one of 11 countries in Asia/Pacific to any destination, simply charge S$100 to your MasterCard to enjoy 10% discount at participating shops and dining outlets at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, receive a complimentary S$25 gift voucher when you use MasterCard to purchase 4 park passes at Universal Studios Singapore and MasterCard cardholders, who are members of Starwood Preferred Guest? (SPG), stand a chance to earn one Free Weekend Night Award at more than 250 Starwood Hotels worldwide, ” said Eileen Wee, vice president and senior country manager, Thailand, MasterCard Worldwide.
MasterCard and its Suite of Research Properties
The MasterCard Worldwide Index suite of research products in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa includes the flagship MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence, and the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Purchasing Resilience, both of which are released six monthly, and MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women’s Advancement, which is released annually.
Besides these, MasterCard also regularly releases Insights reports; the series represents in part its ongoing research and analysis of business dynamics, financial policies and regulatory activities in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Over 70 Insights reports have been produced since 2004. MasterCard has also released a series of four books on Asian consumer insights, authored by its Asia/Pacific economist, Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong and published by John Wiley & Sons.
The MasterCard Indexes and Insights reports are available at www.masterintelligence.com
About MasterCard Worldwide
As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Worldwide prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2009, $2.5 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network — the fastest payment processing network in the world — MasterCard processes over 22 billion transactions each year, has the capacity to handle 140 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 140 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard?, Maestro?, and Cirrus?; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass? and MasterCard inControl?. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and
businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, please visit us at www.mastercard.com. Follow us on Twitter: @mastercardnews.