BUSINESS travellers in Malaysia have ranked Singapore as their top destination in the third annual Accor Asia-Pacific Business Traveller Research.

According to research findings, the top three destinations visited by Malaysian business travellers in the first six months of 2012 were Singapore (61 per cent), Thailand (49 per cent) and Indonesia (42 per cent).

These hot favourites are expected to reign in the second half of the year too, as 57 per cent of respondents are planning trips to Singapore, 48 per cent to Thailand and 39 per cent to Indonesia.

The average Malaysian executive took 11 trips in the first half of 2012. The total volume of trips is similar to the regional average, but Malaysian business travellers took slightly more international (six) than domestic (five) trips, compared to the average Asia-Pacific traveller who made more domestic (seven) than international trips (four).

Malaysian business travellers were also found to spend an average of US$105 per night, more than travellers from China (US$98) and Indonesia (US$81). Singaporeans spent the most on accommodation, averaging US$156 per night or US$468 per trip.

Quality of sleep is highly regarded among Malaysian business travellers, with 70 per cent of respondents saying they care most about having a comfortable bed when choosing a hotel, a factor more important than free Internet (56 per cent) and a good quality bathroom (40 per cent).

The Accor Asia-Pacific Business Traveller Research, which surveyed over 2,500 respondents from nine countries in Asia-Pacific, also reported that executives from mainland China led the region in business travel, with the average respondent taking 18 trips, 14 of which were domestic. Singaporeans travelled the least, at seven trips in 1H2012.

BUSINESS travellers from around the globe, particularly China, aren’t shy about mixing business with pleasure during travels this year, according to a study by Wyndham Hotel Group.

Commissioned to better understand the habits of business travellers, the survey polled just over 4,300 adults who travel for business in key cities throughout China, the UK, the US, Canada and Brazil.

Based on the results, 67 per cent of Chinese business travellers would invite a spouse or family member to join them while away on business, while only 33 per cent of UK travellers would do the same. Travellers in the US are more divided, with 52 per cent saying they’d invite along a loved one.

Close to 30 per cent of Chinese business travellers regard their trips as a way to experience a higher-end hotel, while 29 per cent view company travel as an opportunity to indulge in an all-expenses-paid trip. American and Canadian travellers are most likely to view a business trip as an chance to explore a new city or area, while 38 per cent of UK travellers say they either do not enjoy business trips or view them as a sacrifice of personal and family time.

Extending a trip to include leisure time is a must among 59 per cent of Chinese business travellers, more so than for travellers of any other country. By comparison, it’s of least importance to travellers from the UK, where 68 per cent prefer not to add on any extra time.

Among all business travellers, 46 per cent have extended a trip to include leisure time in the past, while 25 per cent always include some personal time when travelling for business.

Thirty-three per cent also make it a point to explore the hotel and its amenities, with 70 per cent citing the hotel bar and restaurant as the most popular place to go. The fitness centre was a close second (60 per cent), followed by the hotel spa (50 per cent).

CONTINUED sluggishness in the eurozone is softening growth rates in other regions as the end of year approaches, according to the 2013 Industry Forecast by Advito, BCD Travel’s independent consulting unit.

Looking ahead to 2013, Advito predicts that demand will continue to outpace supply, with airlines keeping a particularly tight hold on inventory. As a result, buyers should brace for low- to mid-single digit price hikes in airfares and hotel rates.

Drawing upon industry and economic data through August and transactional (hotel and air) data through June 2012, the Advito 2013 Industry Forecast predicts moderate airfare increases across all regions.

The strongest demand will occur in Latin America, with expected year-over-year airfare increases between six per cent and seven percent, and lowest in Europe (two per cent to three percent). North America and Asia will see airfare increases between four percent and five percent, and Southwest Pacific between two per cent and four percent.

Advito also forecasts hotel ADR to grow in 2013—though not as high as first anticipated. Predicted rate hikes include: six per cent to seven per cent in North America; eight per cent to 14 per cent in Latin America; two per cent to four per cent in Europe; five per cent to 10 per cent in the Middle East; five per cent to eight per cent in Asia and six per cent to 10 per cent in Southwest Pacific.

Double-digit ADR increases are probable in the top rung of international gateway cities such as New York, Hong Kong and Singapore and in some Latin American cities.

TRAVELLERS are clearly engaging in social media platforms, but the influence of these digital networks on the buying decision is less clear, according to PhoCusWright’s Social Media in Travel 2012: Social Networks and Traveler Reviews.

Created in partnership with Circos Brand Karma and Travelport, PhoCusWright’s report examines the role and impact of social media and user-generated content on the online travel landscape.

According to PhoCusWright, social media platforms such as Facebook have attracted massive user bases, and a strategically managed social media presence has become de rigueur in the travel industry. More than three fourths of travellers turn to social media networks to find some type of shopping-related deal, while 30 per cent specifically seek out travel-related deals.

However, travel companies are struggling to determine how best to harness the medium: as a distribution channel, a customer service tool, a marketing and branding platform, or a referral and lead-generation service. Suppliers that have implemented booking tools, widgets or full-fledged booking engines within Facebook have so far reported mixed results, citing a range of challenges.

More significantly, travellers do not appear to engage in social media networks with the primary intent of shopping or purchasing travel, as they would when using search or travel sites. While Internet users are accustomed to using Facebook to share their travel photos and stories, making purchases is another matter.

THE magic of the Formula 1 (F1) Singapore Grand Prix has cast a wide spell, drawing visitors even from recession-hit markets such as the UK, while bookings show that race-goers are making a long weekend of the event this year.

The Australians, British and Americans rank as the top source markets for arrivals during this year’s F1 season in Singapore, according to a study by Amadeus and market research and consultancy firm, Forward Data. Based on bookings made until September 1, Australia accounts for 23 per cent of bookings, followed by the UK at 12 per cent and the US at eight per cent.

Although Australia is the top source market, F1 fans from London make up the highest number of travellers from any one city, responsible for nine per cent of bookings this season. New Zealand, in particular, also saw a 34 per cent hike in the number of bookings this year.

Although Amadeus and Forward Data noted that current bookings were three per cent lower year-on-year, last-minute bookings were expected to have a major impact. Last year’s numbers reveal that 33 per cent of final F1 arrival figures had not yet been booked three weeks before the first race.

Tourists flying into Singapore for the race are also increasingly making a long weekend of it, with arrivals peaking today.

VISITOR numbers to Hong Kong may have leapt by 13.8 per cent year-on-year to 4.4 million in July, but several markets saw negative growth, including those from Europe and South-east Asia.

According to latest figures from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, visitors from China and Macau represented the bulk of arrivals (3.3 million) in July, with the markets jointly posting a 21.9 per cent year-on-year increase.

This was in contrast to longhaul markets such as Europe, Africa and the Middle East (162,054, -5.1 per cent); the Americas (143,604 arrivals, +4.9 per cent); and Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific (57,773, -7.4 per cent).

Asian source markets hardly fared any better. South and South-east Asia contributed 261,583 visitors (-11.6 per cent), while there were 203,164 arrivals from Taiwan (-6.2 per cent).

Meanwhile, North Asia performed decently (199,823, +5.7 per cent).

Total arrivals over the first seven months registered 26.7 million, a 15.2 per cent increase.

Last month, 50.7 per cent of visitors to Hong Kong were overnight arrivals, 3.6 per cent more than in July 2011. The rest were same-day, in-town arrivals, a 26.7 per cent hike over the same period last year.

SINGAPORE has emerged as the top business travel destination in Asia-Pacific for 2012, based on results from the second annual Accor Asia-Pacific Business Traveller Research survey.

The survey interviewed over 2,500 respondents from nine countries in Asia-Pacific, who made business trips during the first half of the year.

While tied for first place with Hong Kong in last year’s edition, Singapore pulled ahead this year to emerge as the destination most frequently travelled to for business in the first half of 2012.

Singapore also appeared within the ‘Top 3’ destinations for respondents from all key source markets, ranking as the most visited destination for business travellers from Indonesia (71 per cent), Malaysia (61 per cent), Thailand (37 per cent) and India (31 per cent).

Accor expects this trend to continue for the rest of the year, with Singapore appearing in all intended ‘Top 3’ lists. Respondents from Indonesia (60 per cent), Malaysia (57 per cent), Thailand (40 per cent), India (35 per cent) and Australia (31 per cent) identified Singapore as their top most likely business travel destination in the second half of 2012.

Thailand was another key business destination, especially among Asian travellers. The Kingdom ranked within the ‘Top 3’ destinations of respondents from Malaysia (49 per cent), Singapore (47 per cent), Hong Kong (32 per cent), India (26 per cent), China (20 per cent) and Indonesia (20 per cent).

The same survey revealed that Singapore businessmen are the biggest spenders in the region, blowing an average of US$468 on a typical business trip. Indians take second place with US$399 per trip, while Indonesians were the thriftiest, spending US$243 on average each time.

Singapore businessmen have also increased their hotel spend more than any other nationality, budgeting over 16 per cent more per night in the first half of 2012 than during the same period last year. Their average hotel allowance was US$156 per night, up from US$134 last year. By comparison, the average business traveller in Asia-Pacific spent US$125 per night, up 3.3 per cent from last year.

TRAVELLERS from Germany are relatively more modest in their choice of hotel than holidaymakers from the UK or Russia, according to a study by IPK International on Europeans’ preferred types of accommodation when travelling within their continent.

Russian travellers in particular prefer luxury accommodation, with 26 per cent opting for the comforts of a five-star hotel. Twenty-two per cent of Britons choose five-star accommodation, while 13 per cent of Germans prefer to stay in luxury hotels.

Over the past five years, the percentage of Russians and Britons favouring luxury accommodation has risen by two and four per cent, respectively.

Across all European markets, the proportion of overnights in standard accommodation (middle-class and budget hotels) has stagnated, whereas overnights in four- and five-star hotels have risen by four and two per cent, respectively.

Martin Buck, director, Competence Center Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin, said: “Increasingly, rooms at four-star hotels can now be booked for the price of middle-class accommodation. Luxury hotel overnights are also being offered at reduced rates. The effect of customer loyalty programmes, and tour operators who normally operate on the mass market, but are now advertising rooms in premium-class hotels, should not be underestimated either.”

Meanwhile, the study revealed that 234 million out of 413 million trips abroad by Europeans (57 per cent) were spent staying at hotels, with more choosing a hotel bed compared to five years ago. In 2007, this type of accommodation accounted for 52 per cent.

Rented or purchased holiday homes (20 per cent) and staying with friends and relatives (ten per cent) were among the other forms of popular accommodation, whereas campsites (three per cent) hardly registered in the statistics.

Broken down into markets, 58 per cent of German travellers favour hotels. The leaders are Britons (60 per cent) and Russians (66 per cent). Among Polish and Dutch travellers, hotel overnights are less popular (44 and 45 per cent respectively).

TRAVELLERS from Singapore are choosing to venture farther abroad during long weekend vacations this year, with many of their trips being secured last-minute, according to ZUJI Singapore.

Based on ZUJI Singapore’s data, the recent National Day long weekend from August 9-12 saw a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in travel to Seoul and Paris, while Toronto bookings surged by 40 per cent.

China was especially popular last weekend, with both Harbin and Qingdao registering a 70 per cent jump in travel volume, compared to the same period last year.

Other destinations that posted a doubling in bookings include Amsterdam, Vancouver and Fukuoka in Japan.

For the upcoming Hari Raya Puasa long weekend from August 18-20, ZUJI Singapore has so far recorded a 50 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings to Vancouver, while travel volume to Tokyo and Seoul has risen by 40 per cent.

Bookings to Bangkok and Hanoi have seen a 30 per cent hike, while Chiang Mai bookings have increased threefold. Travel to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, has risen by 20 per cent.

AROUND A$1.4 billion (US$1.48 billion) was splashed out on Australian hotel and resort acquisitions during the one-year period till June 30, 2012. Led by buyers from Hong Kong and Malaysia, Asian investors accounted for over 90 per cent of transactions.

The figures were based on the latest Hotel Investment Sentiment Survey by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, which revealed that Hong Kong and Malaysian investors outstripped long-time stalwart Singapore in snapping up Australian hotel real estate during the period. Malaysian buyers partook in 39.5 per cent of overall transactions.

Major hotel transactions in Australia during the year included the sale of Colonial First State’s Sydney Harbour, Melbourne and Brisbane Marriott Hotels to Malaysia’s Starhill REIT for A$415 million; the transfer of Rendezvouz Grand Hotel Melbourne to Singapore’s Straits Trading Company for A$61 million; and Shangri-La Asia’s A$378 million swoop for Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney and Holiday Inn, Brisbane.

Other significant transactions included the A$12 million transfer of Club Med’s Lindeman Island resort to White Horse Australia, a subsidiary of China’s White Horse Group; and Langham Hospitality Group Hong Kong’s takeover of The Observatory Hotel, Sydney.

Investor appetite was strongest for Brisbane (62.5 per cent), with the city being the only Asia-Pacific destination to feature in the top ten global markets for buying, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.

Meanwhile, Perth (48.5 per cent) and Sydney (48.0 per cent) were rated highest in Australia for short-term trading.