MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Highlights for Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam

MasterCard has released the eagerly anticipated results of its latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel report, predicting steady growth in outbound travel across Asia Pacific in the first half of 2008, despite the economic uncertainty clouding world financial markets.  

Below are the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel - First Half 2008 Market Specific Highlights. To get the full picture however, it is important to view them in conjunction with the main page, entitled: Steady Growth in Outbound Asia Pacific Travel Forecast Despite Economic Uncertainty.

Due to the amount of data we have cut the Market Specific Highlights into different pages. The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel - First Half 2008 Market Specific Highlights features the following countries: Australia and China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, Japan and Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

TAIWAN - Forecast on Outbound Travel for the First Half of 2008

• 1.2% year-on-year growth • 4.5 million outbound travelers forecasted for the next six months

Survey on Personal Travel

• Key sources of information used by travelers in planning their trips were the word of mouth (42.6%), followed by Internet (41.8%) and travel agent (35.5%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were losing one’s passport (59.6%), followed by security and safety issues (53.2%), losing one’s wallet/pocket book (51.8%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (91.5%), followed by rest and relaxation (70.2%) and visiting historical sites/museums/art centres (68.8%)

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad included local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (70.2%), apparel and personal effects (56.0%) and food items (45.4%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Taiwanese travelers was Japan (68.8%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 27.6% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more compared to the previous period.

• China (51.7%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Japan (24.1%) and Hong Kong (20.7%).

• Majority of business travelers (41.4%) used make their own travel arrangements.

• EVA Air (44.8%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Cathay Pacific (20.7%) and China Airlines (17.2%).

• International five-star/higher end hotels (34.5%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by international five-star spas and resorts (24.1%) and three- star/medium priced hotels (17.2%).

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (84.8%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 10.6% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 3.3% said they would make more.

THAILAND - Forecast on Outbound Travel for the First Half of 2008

• 3.6% year-on-year growth • 1.9 million outbound travelers forecasted for the next six months

Survey on Personal Travel

• Key sources of information used by travelers in planning their trips travel agents (48.4%), followed by internet (33.5%) and word of mouth (23.1%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (67.9%), followed by losing one's passport (25.8%) and getting lost (18.1%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were shopping (59.7%), followed by general sightseeing and scenic spots (43%), and entertainment (27.1%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad included local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (59.3%), apparel and personal effects (49.8%) and rest and relaxation (32.1%).

• The favorite personal travel destinations for Thai travelers were China (23.5%) and Hong Kong (23.5%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 27.8% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more compared to the previous period.

• China (25.3%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Hong Kong (19.2%) and Singapore (18.7% each).

• Majority of business travelers (37.9%) used company's in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Thai Airways (71.2%) was the most preferred airline for business travel followed by Singapore Airlines (5.1%) and Cathay Pacific (4.5% each).

• International four-star hotels (44.4%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by three-star/medium priced hotels (22.7%) and international five-star/ higher end hotels (19.2%).

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (67%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 26.5% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 6.5% said they would make more.

VIETNAM - No forecast being made for Vietnam

Survey on Personal Travel

• Key sources of information used by travelers in planning their trips were travel agents (67.9%), followed by Internet (42.9%) and word of mouth (33.9%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (57.1%), followed by not being able to get the right kind of food and drinking water (33.9%) and language barriers/communication problems (30.4%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were shopping (73.2%), entertainment (67.9%) and general sightseeing and scenic spots (64.3%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad included apparel and personal effects (78.6%), local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (55.4%), electronic and audio visual products (44.6%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Vietnamese travelers was Singapore (35.7%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 55.8% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more compared to the previous period.

• Thailand (51.9%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Singapore (40.4%) and China (36.5%).

• Majority of business travelers (57.7%) used their company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Vietnam Air (67.3%) was the most preferred airline for business travel followed by Singapore Airlines (9.6%) and United Airlines and Thai Airways (5.8% each).

• International four-star hotels (32.7%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by three-star/medium priced hotels (30.8%) and international five-star/ higher end hotels and international five-star spas and resorts (15.4% each).

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (71.9%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 14.6% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 13.5% said they would make more.

The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel - First Half 2008 Market Specific Highlights features the following countries: Australia and China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, Japan and Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

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