Tripadvisor: Bright outlook for summer travel

SINGAPORE, 10 May 2023: Tripadvisor released its latest Seasonal Travel Index on Wednesday, providing an outlook for global travel patterns and demand over the next three months that show early planning and booking are vital to secure bargains

The Index includes top takeaways for the upcoming season, country-specific Tripadvisor demand data and insights from its latest traveller sentiment survey.

Seasonal Travel Takeaways

1. The majority of travellers are planning summer trips

With summer around the corner in Singapore, the next three months look set to be a hectic period for travel, with over three-quarters of those surveyed (84%) planning leisure trips between June and August. The vast majority of these travellers (97%) plan to travel the same amount (31%) or more (66%) compared to last year.

2. Most will spend more than they did last year

Over half of those surveyed (68%) will spend more on travel in the next few months compared to last year, while around a quarter (26%) expect to spend about the same amount — just 6% plan to spend less, despite a challenging economic outlook for many markets.Indeed, 1 in 2 travellers surveyed (50%) said macroeconomic factors would change how they travel over the next three months, with two-thirds of these (62%) citing higher living costs, due to inflation, as the reason. Around two-fifths (43%) will travel for shorter periods, while a third (39%) will take fewer trips.

3. City breaks remain popular

While beach destinations usually feature prominently in the list of top leisure trip destinations for Summer, the world’s major cities will continue to dominate travel demand between June and August. According to Tripadvisor’s site behavioural data, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Seoul are the top three international destinations for travel over the next three months. Even in Australia, where travellers typically look to Southeast Asia for winter sun, the data shows London will be the most in-demand destination, with Singapore coming in second and Paris third on the list.

4. Younger travellers eager to explore this season

Millennials, in particular, seem eager to get back out there, with the Index revealing that this group is more likely to travel this upcoming season than other age groups. However, younger respondents (Gen Z and millennials) are also more likely to alter upcoming travel plans due to macroeconomic factors than older groups (49% vs 31%, on average).

5. Vacation planners looking for new experiences

Over two-thirds of respondents (69%) have booked or plan to book on-trip activities ahead of their upcoming trip, highlighting a trend for more experiential trip elements. Gen Z and Millennial travellers are more likely to make bookings for experiences and activities than older age groups (68% vs 41%, on average).

Tripadvisor research and insights senior analyst media Alice Jong commented: “With so many eager to get away this summer, early planning and booking are vital to secure preferred accommodations, flights, and experiences. With many consumers conscious of cost in the current climate, a little flexibility during the planning process can help drive down their trip prices. For example, when we look at the top international destinations over the next three months, Bangkok hotel prices are lowest during 24 to 30 July, while 19 to 25 June is the most affordable week to visit Hong Kong.”

Traveller Sentiment Survey Data

Of those surveyed, two-thirds (78%) of respondents plan to travel for leisure this upcoming season.

• US: 82%
• UK: 81%
• AUS: 66%
• JP: 65%
• SG: 84%

Over half of respondents (53%) are planning to travel more this upcoming season than last year.

• US: travel more (55%), about the same (39%), less (6%)
• UK: travel more (42%), about the same (48%), less (10%)
• AUS: travel more (43%), about the same (49%), less (8%)
• JP: travel more (50%), about the same (48%), less (2%)
• SG: travel more (66%), about the same (31%), less (3%)

Of those, over three-quarters (77%) plan to take between 1 to 2 trips, while more than one-in-five (22%) plan to take three or more trips.

• US: 1-2 trips (62%), 3-5 trips (31%), 6+ trips (7%)
• UK: 1-2 trips (79%), 3-5 trips (18%), 6+ trips (3%)
• AUS: 1-2 trips (87%), 3-5 trips (10%), 6+ trips (2%)
• JP: 1-2 trips (84%), 3-5 trips (13%), 6+ trips (3%)
• SG: 1-2 trips (80%), 3-5 trips (15%), 6+ trips (5%)

Almost half (46%) plan to travel domestically, while around a quarter will travel either internationally (27%) or both domestically and internationally (28%)

• US: Domestic (70%), International (6%), both (25%)
• UK: Domestic (31%), International (32%), both (37%)
• AUS: Domestic (57%), International (16%), both (27%)
• JP: Domestic (80%), International (5%), both (15%)
• SG: Domestic (4%), International (68%), both (28%)

Over half of travellers globally (55%) plan to spend more on travel this upcoming season than last year.

• US: 60%
• UK: 46%
• AUS: 50%
• JP: 57%
• SG: 68%

Only two in five respondents (41%) said macroeconomic factors would change how they travel over the next three months.

• US: 41% (41% will take shorter trips, 37% will take fewer trips)
• UK: 32% (48% will take shorter trips, 40% will take fewer trips)
• AUS: 29% (38% will take shorter trips, 32% will take fewer trips)
• JP: 47% (36% will take shorter trips, 18% will take fewer trips)
• SG: 50% (43% will take shorter trips, 39% will take fewer trips)

Cost/affordability (65%) is nearly twice as important to respondents as other factors, such as trip length (38%) and trip type (35%), when planning a vacation.

• US: Cost/affordability (62%), trip length (41%), trip type (36%)
• UK: Cost/affordability (71%), trip length (45%), trip type (45%)
• AUS: Cost/affordability (72%), trip length (45%), trip type (32%)
• JP: Cost/affordability (71%), trip length (27%), trip type (35%)
• SG: Cost/affordability (63%), trip length (38%), trip type (21%)

For the full report, visit: https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/sg-press-releases-seasonal-travel-index-2022

Methodology

The data cited in this release was gathered and analysed from two key sources:

A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of over 2,400 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between March 17-27, 2023, across six countries – Australia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, the UK and the US.

Site behavioural data sourced from first-party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered between 10 January 2023- 10 April 2023, for searches made by travellers in the US, UK, Australia, Japan and Singapore for travel between 01 June through 31 August 2023.