Market Specific Highlights from MasterCard's Index of Travel Report - Australia, China and Hong Kong

Results from the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Report, predict steady growth in the number of outbound travelers across Asia Pacific for the second half of 2008 despite the inflation pinch felt all across the region. Below we feature the market specific highlights from the report for Australia, China and Hong Kong, we also feature the results from Indonesia, Japan and Korea, as well as Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines plus Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam on the final page.

Australia Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 5.5% year-on-year growth
• 3.1 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 Internet (65.60%), followed by travel agents (62.30%) and word of mouth (27.90%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (54.90%), followed by running out of cash (22.10%) and losing one’s baggages/luggages (21.30%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were entertainment (80.30%), shopping (77.00%) and visiting historical sites/museums/art centers (63.90%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were apparel and personal effects (71.30%), followed by luxury items/jewelry/branded goods (53.30%) and local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (50.00%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Australian travelers was Europe (63.10%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 22.60% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• Hong Kong (32.30%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Indonesia (25.80%) and China, Singapore and the US (22.60%).

• Majority of business travelers (45.20%) used the company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Qantas (74.20%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Singapore Airlines (19.40%) and British Airways (6.50%).

• International five-star/higher end hotels were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international five-star spa and resorts (29.00%). 

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (79.30%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 17.80% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 2.20% said they would travel more.

China Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 12% year-on-year growth
• 24.4 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 Internet (82.40%), followed by travel agents (77.30%) and word of mouth (59.40%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (63.70%), followed by language barriers/communication problems (50.00%) and losing one’s passport and credit cards/bank cards (46.50% each).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (83.60%), shopping (82.40%) and experiencing different cuisines (69.90%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (71.10%), apparel and personal effects (66.80%) and electronic and audio-visual products (36.30%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Chinese travelers was Hong Kong (39.10%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 29.50% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• Hong Kong (36.20%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Singapore (29.50%) and Japan (24.80%).

• Majority of business travelers (55.70%) used a travel arrangement engaged by their company when making business travel arrangements.

• Air China (39.60%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by China Southern Airlines (11.40%) and United Airlines (10.70%).

• International four-star hotels (53.00%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by three-star/medium priced hotels (30.90%) and international five-star spa and resorts (7.40%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (69.60%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 26.50% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 3.90% said they would travel more.

Hong Kong Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 6.20% year-on-year growth
• 3.4 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 word of mouth (61.40%), followed by the Internet (56.30%) and travel agents (50.40%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (71.70%), losing one’s passport (44.50%) and language barriers/communication problems (40.20%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (61.00%), experiencing different cuisines (49.60%) and entertainment and experiencing different cultures (43.70%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (66.90%), food items (59.40%) and apparel and personal effects (34.60%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Hong Kong’s travelers was Japan (57.10%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 16.70% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• China (82.40%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Taiwan (16.70%) and Japan (14.80%).

• Majority of business travelers (52.80%) used their company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Cathay Pacific (54.60%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Dragon Air (17.60%) and EVA Air (6.50%).

• International five-star/higher end hotels (40.70%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (32.40%) and international five-star spa & resorts (11.10%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (78.10%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 17.40% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 4.40% said they would travel more.

Results from the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Report. We feature the market specific highlights from the report for Australia, China and Hong Kong, and also from Indonesia, Japan and Korea, as well as Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines and lastly but not least Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam on the final page.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, Promotions, New Hotels, MasterCard, MasterIndex, Survey, Research, Visitor Arrivals