Celebrating Spring (Festival): Tokyo Takes Top Destinations Spot for Asian Travelers During Lunar New Year 2020

Bangkok--17 Jan--Spark Communications Tokyo, Bangkok and Taipei are the top three destinations for travelers from across Asia to celebrate the Lunar New Year, according to data from Agoda, one of the world's fastest growing digital travel platforms (https://www.agoda.com/?site_id=1811392). This year, Tokyo nudged Bangkok off pole position, steadily climbing the ranks from third place in 2018 to the top spot, while Taipei moves to third place. In fact, Taiwan is a key destination this year, with four of the market's cities featuring in the top ten, Taipei (#3), Taichung (#4), Kaohsiung (#6) and Tainan (#9). Other favourite destinations to welcome the Lunar New Year include Seoul (#7) and Chiang Mai (#10). Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, sees the biggest global migration as revelers across the globe visit family and friends. Spending quality time with family and enjoying tasty treats for reunion dinners takes precedence during the Lunar New Year, making it a perfect time for the whole family to travel together. It is little wonder then, that Japan, Malaysia and Thailand secured top overall destinations for Asian travelers, to bring in the Lunar New Year — each offering their own unique blend of mouth-watering eats, cultural experiences and shopping havens for every member in the family to enjoy. Lunar New Year Travel Highlights by Market: - Travelers from China are flocking to Japan with Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo the top international destination cities for Chinese travelers. - Japan is the number one country for travelers from Thailand this Spring Festival, with eight of the top 10 cities in Japan. - Meanwhile, Japanese travelers are heading to more tropical destinations this Lunar New Year – Thailand's Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai scooping 1 st , 3 rd and 9 th spots respectively while Singapore, Cebu and Honolulu come in 7 th , 8 th and 10 th . Meanwhile Seoul moves up from 4 th in 2019 to 2 nd spot for this year. - South Korean travelers are also heading for beach destinations to celebrate 'Seollal' with top ten entries including Nha Trang (#3), Da Nang (#4), (in Vietnam), Cebu (#6) (in Philippines), Guam (#8) (in Micronesia) and Bali (#10) (in Indonesia). - Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are the main beneficiaries from Singapore travelers this Lunar New Year, while Batam, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur scoop the top three cities' titles. - Travelers from Taiwan are heading to international destinations to celebrate the Spring Festival are flocking to Japan with 7 of the top 10 top destinations within the country. South Korea's Seoul (#6) and Busan (#9) are also winners this year. - Vietnamese travelers celebrate 'Tet Nguen Dan' (or Tet), and this year, once again, travelers seeking international destinations are heading to the bustling cosmopolitan cities Bangkok (#1), Singapore (#2), Taipei (#3) to celebrate. - Malaysia, the second most visited country for travelers from across Asia this Lunar New Year, also scoops five of the top 10 international destinations for Indonesian travelers — Kuala Lumpur (#1), Genting Highlands (#4), Penang (#6), Johor Bahru (#8), and Kuching (#9). - Malaysian travelers heading for international shores are choosing neighbouring Thailand for five of its top destination cities (Hat Yai, #1; Bangkok, #2; Krabi, #3; Phuket, #4; and Koh Lipe, #10). Top 10 Lunar New Year Destinations for travelers across Asia in 2020 (Agoda) 2018 2019 2020 Top Countries 1. Malaysia 1. Japan 1. Japan 2. Thailand 2. Malaysia 2. Malaysia 3. Japan 3. Thailand 3. Thailand Top Cities 1. Bangkok 1. Bangkok 1. Tokyo 2. Kuala Lumpur 2. Tokyo 2. Bangkok 3. Tokyo 3. Kuala Lumpur 3. Taipei 4. Taipei 4. Taipei 4. Taichung 5. Malacca 5. Taichung 5. Osaka 6. Osaka 6. Kaohsiung 6. Kaohsiung 7. Seoul 7. Osaka 7. Seoul 8. Manila 8. Malacca 8. Kuala Lumpur 9. Taichung 9. Hong Kong 9. Tainan 10. Singapore 10. Penang 10. Chiang Mai Thailand Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in Thailand, despite the day not being official national holiday. Falling on a Saturday in 2020, Lunar New Year presents a perfect opportunity for Thais to travel. Among Thai travelers, Japan continues to be a hot travel destination, with Tokyo (#1), Osaka (#2), Sapporo (#3), Nagoya (#4) and Kyoto (#8) being popular picks, and hidden gems like Takayama (#5), Hakodate (#6) and Fujikawaguchiko (#7) making the list as well. Among regional travelers, Thai cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai are also highly sought-after destinations to ring in the Lunar New Year – which place second and tenth respectively in our 2020 list. Thailand's scenic beaches and lively shopping options are particularly attractive to those in Malaysia, with Hat Yai (#1), Bangkok (#2), Krabi (#4), Phuket (#6) and Koh Lipe (#10) all being part of their top 10 list for Lunar New Year travels. Thailand: Top 10 Lunar New Year Destinations in 2020 (Agoda) 2018 2019 2020 Top Countries Top Cities 1. Japan 1. Japan 1. Japan 2. Laos 2. Laos 2. Vietnam 3. Malaysia 3. Vietnam 3. South Korea Top Cities 1. Tokyo 1. Tokyo 1. Tokyo 2. Osaka 2. Sapporo 2. Osaka 3. Singapore 3. Osaka 3. Sapporo 4. Seoul 4. Taipei 4. Nagoya 5. Kuala Lumpur 5. Vientiane 5. Takayama 6. Yangon 6. Hokodate 6. Hakodate 7. Taipei 7. Nagoya 7. Fujikawaguchiko 8. Kyoto 8. Takayama 8. Kyoto 9. Hong Kong 9. Yangon 9. Singapore 10. Siem Reap 10. Hong Kong 10. Seoul Notes to editors Agoda booking data from origin markets across Asia was collated for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Lunar New Year dates: - 16 – 17 February 2018 - 5 – 6 February 2019 - 25 – 26 January 2020 A Lunar New Year animated video and additional country breakdowns can be found in the Agoda Press Room.