Skyscanner’s latest Horizons report shared insights into booking windows, destination choices, and trending destinations across the Asia-Pacific region for the period June to August 2024.
The analysis is based on its Skyscanner Travel Insight Data, which compares traveller behaviour and search trends year-on-year.
More travellers are planning further ahead compared to last year
Booking windows reflect confidence to plan ahead
At the start of 2024, Skyscanner saw record travel demand, outperforming the global flights market and was the fastest growing metasearch in 2023.
Across the board, travellers are planning further ahead compared to the previous year, marking a return to traditional seasonality in 2024.
Among Asia-Pacific travellers, there is a greater distribution of booking windows compared to other regions but an overall increase in bookings over 30 days (including a 2% jump in the 90+ day segment). Booking windows of two months or more now represent over a third of demand in this region.
Destination choices highlight regional preferences
Asia-Pacific travellers are turning their focus towards intra-regional destinations, with a notable decrease in trips to Europe compared to last year. Seat capacity is returning to the region and many travellers are indicating a desire to swap longhaul trips with short or medium ones, or even domestic trips with an eye on their budget to help keep costs down.
Shorter trip lengths to top destinations
Across all regions, average trip lengths are slightly down or flat year-on-year for many popular destinations.
Well-known European and US destinations are most popular among Asia-Pacific travellers, with Athens experiencing the biggest increase in trip length. “Everywhere” also ranks highly, and Tokyo is the only destination with a single-digit trip length.
Trending destinations
Destinations with the biggest year-on-year increases in search volumes reflect a mix of wanting to explore new places, as well as those with new route connections.
New Delhi, India and China’s Shanghai are experiencing the biggest growth among Asia-Pacific travellers, while Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Victoria, Canada are also trending. Pangkalan Bun in Borneo, Indonesia is the only trending destination with an increase in average trip length.
Zeynep Mutlu Bigalı, head of destination partnerships: “Our latest Horizon insights reveal a travel landscape that is both familiar and evolving. While traditional seasonality is returning and popular destinations remain in demand, travellers are also seeking value and exploring options closer-to-home. Across Skyscanner’s platforms we have seen incredible demand at the start of the year, and we expect this to continue as we head into the summer, especially in regions such as North Asia.”
Skyscanner’s latest Horizons report shared insights into booking windows, destination choices, and trending destinations across the Asia-Pacific region for the period June to August 2024.
The analysis is based on its Skyscanner Travel Insight Data, which compares traveller behaviour and search trends year-on-year.
Booking windows reflect confidence to plan ahead
At the start of 2024, Skyscanner saw record travel demand, outperforming the global flights market and was the fastest growing metasearch in 2023.
Across the board, travellers are planning further ahead compared to the previous year, marking a return to traditional seasonality in 2024.
Among Asia-Pacific travellers, there is a greater distribution of booking windows compared to other regions but an overall increase in bookings over 30 days (including a 2% jump in the 90+ day segment). Booking windows of two months or more now represent over a third of demand in this region.
Destination choices highlight regional preferences
Asia-Pacific travellers are turning their focus towards intra-regional destinations, with a notable decrease in trips to Europe compared to last year. Seat capacity is returning to the region and many travellers are indicating a desire to swap longhaul trips with short or medium ones, or even domestic trips with an eye on their budget to help keep costs down.
Shorter trip lengths to top destinations
Across all regions, average trip lengths are slightly down or flat year-on-year for many popular destinations.
Well-known European and US destinations are most popular among Asia-Pacific travellers, with Athens experiencing the biggest increase in trip length. “Everywhere” also ranks highly, and Tokyo is the only destination with a single-digit trip length.
Trending destinations
Destinations with the biggest year-on-year increases in search volumes reflect a mix of wanting to explore new places, as well as those with new route connections.
New Delhi, India and China’s Shanghai are experiencing the biggest growth among Asia-Pacific travellers, while Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Victoria, Canada are also trending. Pangkalan Bun in Borneo, Indonesia is the only trending destination with an increase in average trip length.
Zeynep Mutlu Bigalı, head of destination partnerships: “Our latest Horizon insights reveal a travel landscape that is both familiar and evolving. While traditional seasonality is returning and popular destinations remain in demand, travellers are also seeking value and exploring options closer-to-home. Across Skyscanner’s platforms we have seen incredible demand at the start of the year, and we expect this to continue as we head into the summer, especially in regions such as North Asia.”