SINGAPORE, 20 April 2023: More than half of Singaporeans and Malaysians (55%) who have travelled since the start of the year will be travelling again in the next three months, according to a study by Yahoo and the Southeast Asian consumer research company, Milieu Insight.
The study surveyed N=1,000 respondents each from Singapore and Malaysia to unveil their travel plans and patterns for the year’s second quarter.
Since the start of 2023, 61% of respondents who have travelled overseas for leisure have been to Southeast Asia, the top travel destination, especially among Singapore travellers (70%). However, travellers’ appetite for new experiences has not waned – 46% plan to travel to Southeast Asia, followed by East Asia (38%) and Australia/New Zealand (20%) in the next three months.
It reflected intriguing differences in travel preferences between the two neighbouring countries: while 61% of Singaporeans prefer to relax and take things slow for their next travel trip, Malaysians are quite the opposite – 65% prefer to explore as much as they can. The latter also tend to be more budget conscious, with 83% (compared to 68% in Singapore) saying they stick to a strict travel budget.
Sightseeing (70%) and shopping (46%) are the top travel activities in both countries but skew towards Singaporean travellers. On the other hand, Malaysian travellers showed more interest in other activities such as arts, history and cultural immersion (33% vs 17% in Singapore), and notably, a rising travel trend – environment, climate and wildlife conservation (29% vs 11% in Singapore). They also showed much higher intention to join local activities (80% vs 58% in Singapore), such as culinary workshops and cultural immersion with locals.
“Travel demand is taking flight. Brands seeking to tap into the growing wanderlust must stay informed and understand how to travel preferences have evolved. Our latest study, conducted with Milieu, unveils interesting insights into consumer travel patterns – from their top travel destinations to their favourite activities and top purchase motivators on travel booking platforms,” shared Yahoo head of DSP SEA Kenneth Koh.
74% of respondents who book travel arrangements would do so via travel booking platforms, especially popular among 25 to 34-year-olds in Singapore (83%) and Malaysia (64%). As travellers seek more diverse and immersive experiences, travel booking platforms are keeping pace by offering one-stop solutions to make multiple bookings across accommodations, flights and activities. Coming after discounts and promotions (57%), the convenience of making multiple bookings on one platform (46%) is one of the top motivators for using these platforms.
Methodology
This quantitative study was conducted in March-April 2023 via Milieu’s proprietary survey community with N=1,000 respondents each from Singapore and Malaysia who intend to travel in Q2 2023.
About Milieu Insight
Milieu Insight is a consumer research and data analytics company operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
About Yahoo
Yahoo serves as a trusted guide to hundreds of millions of consumers globally with its portfolio of brands, including Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Search, AOL, Engadget, TechCrunch and Rivals.
