Bangkok--18 Feb--PATA
Travellers spend nearly a third of their travel budget on a good night's sleep, according to the latest data from the Visa and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) 'Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond' survey.
The average holiday budget, excluding airfare, comprises accommodation (30 percent of travel budget), followed by food and beverages (22 percent) and airport duty free stores (10 percent), clothing and accessories (nine percent) and cash withdrawals from ATMs (eight percent).The remainder of the budget is spent on miscellaneous items including arts and crafts, sports apparel, electronic and electrical goods, leather goods and bags.
Meranda Chan, Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei, Visa and PATA Board Director said:
"Regardless of a person's holiday budget, essential items such as a bed to sleep in and trying the local cuisine make up the main expenses when travelling abroad. Asia Pacific offers a wide range of accommodation to cater for all types of travelers and with the trend for old buildings being converted into boutique hotels and new resorts being built the choices are even greater."
The survey also found that respondents spent an average of US$2,302 on their last holiday international holiday (excluding airline tickets). Twenty percent of respondents spent between US$500 and US$1,000 and 16 percent spent between US$3,000 and US$10,000.
Respondents from Australia said they spent the most on their holidays, with an average price tag of US$4,390, almost twice the amount of the survey average. Nearly a quarter (21 percent) of Australia's respondents said that they spent between US$5,000 and US$10,000 on their last trip - three times the regional average. Respondents from India were the second highest holiday spenders, spending US$3,071 on their last holiday followed by Chinese respondents who spent US$2,659.
Of all the respondents, the Japanese spend the most of their budget on accommodation (36 percent) followed by Americans (35 percent). The Japanese prefer to stay in three-star hotels (35 percent) and Americans prefer four and five star accommodation (36 percent for each category). Respondents from India (21 percent) and China (23 percent) spend the least amount of their budget on accommodation when traveling and would prefer to stay in three-star accommodation (29 and 28 percent respectively).
Greg Duffell, President and CEO - PATA said: "Hospitality remains one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourist industry with choices available to suit all budgets and needs. According to PATA's Asia Pacific Tourism Forecasts 2009 - 2011, Asia is expected to welcome in excess of 450 million international travelers by 2011 so, clearly, demand for accommodation is expected to increase."
Visa cardholders can take advantage of special discounts on accommodation and dining on the Visa Great Breaks website (www.visagreatbreaks.com). Promotions also include discounts on flights, hotel and package deals to various countries and territories across Asia Pacific.
Average Amount Spent on Last Holiday (excluding airfare)
Amount (US$)
Australia $4,390
India $3,071
China $2,659
United States $2,607
United Kingdom $2,502
France $2,230
Japan $1,941
Singapore $1,936
Korea $1,569
Hong Kong $1,511
Chinese Taipei $1,433
Survey Average $2,302
Source: Visa/PATA Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond Survey
For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
Contacts:
Susan Williams
Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited
Phone: 65 6437 5659
Email: [email protected]
Dale Lawrence
PATA HQ Bangkok
Phone: 66 2 658 2000
Email: [email protected]
Christine Hogseth-Gill
Ruder Finn Asia
Phone: 65 6336 0729
Email: [email protected]