HONG KONG, 23 October 2024: Smart Travel Asia magazine released its annual winners of its 2024 Best in Travel Poll, saying the findings suggest that after “bucket list and revenge travel jaunts, people are once again casting an eye on new underrated gems.”
For the full list of winners and trends visit https://www.smarttravelasia.com/travelpoll2024.htm
Smart Travel Asia editor and founder Vijay Verghese noted that “while hotel votes tend to follow destination priorities — rising and falling in tandem — there are several breakout names this year. Singapore, Bali and Japan dominated, and Hong Kong (and Cathay) made a small comeback, though iconic The Peninsula Hong Kong, a poll mainstay, dropped out.”
“Hotels and airlines that performed well in 2024 had a high feel-good factor, much of this based on personal interactions, not hi-tech hardware or polished marble.
“Ultimately, these ratings are about how each experience made the traveller “feel”. It is all about the emotional takeaways. Hotels and airlines that performed well in 2024 had a high feel-good factor, much based on personal interactions and less on hi-tech hardware and polished marble.”
Smart Travel Asia launched in February 2003 as the region’s first fully online publication, and its first reader poll (starting with airlines) ran in 2004.
Travel Poll 2024: Standout winners
Best holiday destinations (Asia): Bangkok #1 continued to surge, with Tokyo rising to #2 and Bali dropping one spot to #3. Hong Kong re-emerged at #7 after a few years off the charts while places like Macau, Bhutan, Kochi, Samarkand and Mongolia made gains.
Top cities for meetings (Asia): Singapore ranked #1 followed by Bangkok and Taipei, and Seoul in joint #3. Also featured in the top 10 were a diverse group, including a more buoyant Hong Kong, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai, Macau and Pattaya.
Best Budget Airline (Asia): The top spot again went to AirAsia (#1). The 2024 Top 10 List also featured India’s IndiGo (#2), Singapore-based Scoot (#3), Cebu Pacific (#5), the Japanese ZIPAIR, and fast-expanding Vietjet Air (#9).
Best hotel service (Asia): Fairmont Makati (#1), followed by Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, joint #2 with Rosewood Hong Kong, The Oberoi New Delhi (#3), the Park Hyatt Kyoto, and classics like the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, The Imperial New Delhi, and The Peninsula Manila.
Top luxury hotels (ASIA): The top spot was taken by the reimagined Centara Reserve Samui (#1) with Amankila Bali #2. The Peninsula Hong Kong failed to make the cut, though Rosewood Hong Kong ranked #7 in Luxury.
The best new hotels (Asia): The Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat (#1), The Tokyo EDITON, Toranomon (#2), and the InterContinental Khao Yai Resort (#3), followed by names like the returning harbour-view Regent Hong Kong, the recast Dusit Thani Bangkok, and COMO Metropolitan Singapore.
