Young Asian travelers’ dream destinations revealed in new PATA report

BANGKOK, Thailand – The rapid emergence of Asian economies and the accompanying boom in travel has attracted the attention of the global travel and tourism community, as well as countless others. In recent years the sheer number of outbound travellers from Asian countries combined with their well-documented spending power has made an impact beyond Asia and the Pacific region, as destinations in all other regions race to understand the Asian traveller and adapt their products and services accordingly.

The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller, released today by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), explains how and why it is predominantly young people that are fuelling this growth, looking to explore the world beyond their country’s borders. In line with PATA’s ‘Next Gen’ strategy, the report is intended to help tourism industry professionals around the world to understand the importance of engaging with young people, both as consumers and employees in the travel and tourism industry, and to give them an understanding of the power of the young Asian traveller to shape global travel and tourism in the years to come.

Nearly 3,000 travellers between the ages of 15-34 participated in an online survey distributed across 13 countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia including China, Korea (ROK), Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Among the findings readers can discover:

Why youth travel does not always mean ‘budget travel’ in Asia
What the leap to mobile technology will mean for travel providers across the region
How low cost carriers have capitalised so successfully on the youth market across the region
Why the most sophisticated tourism boards look to attract students as well as leisure travellers
Who exerts the biggest influence on young Asians’ travel decisions
Why it is important to start reaching the next generation of your brand’s consumers today
PATA CEO Martin J. Craigs said, “This report highlights very effectively why Asia’s top destinations and tourism brands need to sit up and take notice of young consumers and their travel tastes. Today’s young travellers will very quickly become business and family travellers, so it is important to show them your trust and loyalty from a very early stage. At PATA we like to lead by example, nurturing talent for the future and putting youth at the heart of our efforts in Human Capital Development, and it is certainly paying off for us”.

The report features contributions from Aloft Bangkok, Bangkok Vanguards, Bnbhero, Digital Innovation Asia, Flip’n Travels, Korea Tourism Organization, Lagisatu, PhoCusWright, Qunar, South East Asia Backpacker, Taylor’s University, Tourism Australia, TripAdvisor, and Trippiece.

PATA would also like to thank the following National Tourism Organizations for their cooperation: Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam; Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Indonesia; Japan National Tourism Organization; Korea Tourism Organization; Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia; Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar; and Tourism Authority of Thailand.