What APAC travellers really want

‘Travelling the world’ may be a common thing in travellers’ bucket list — but what do travellers really want?

According to hospitality company Hilton, which surveyed thousands of respondents from 11 Asia Pacific countries, aspirations around ‘travelling the world’ tops travellers’ bucket lists – though it is the desire to try new experiences and connect with the culture that really matters most.

“Travel is a deep passion for most travellers in the Asia Pacific,” said Sarah Somerville, senior director, customer engagement, loyalty and partnerships, Asia Pacific at Hilton. “It gives them a real sense of pride and has become a core part of how they define themselves.”

• Making it count: Two in three travellers seek ‘once-in-a-lifetime experiences’ as a key aspect of travel that they desire. This is largely driven by younger travellers (73% of 20 to 24-year-olds).
• Extraordinary experiences: The ‘uniqueness of the destination or experience’ has the most influence on deciding where people want to travel (55%). This is more important to young families (63%) than singles or couples (both 48%), and to travellers in Indonesia (76%), Philippines (71%), Vietnam (67%) and India (66%).

While cultural immersion has been a trending travel phenomenon, specific types of experiences are being sought out by Asia Pacific travellers:

• Tracing the roots of local cuisine: ‘Visiting a local food market to learn and pick your own ingredients for an authentic meal’ is by far the top experience that APAC travellers desire (38%).
• Access and authenticity: VIP experiences associated with ‘Private Access’ (73%) and ‘Local Culture and Authenticity’ (71%) both play an important role in attracting travellers to visit a new or different destination.
• Region of Japanophiles: Japan continues to top Asia Pacific travellers’ bucket list of travel destinations, with Australia not far behind. However, beyond Japan’s ‘spectacular landscape’, ‘local experiences’ around culture and cuisine have a strong influence in attracting them to visit.

“A transformative journey that is wholly their own”

“Today’s travellers want to live like locals, feel inspired by the places they visit and experience a transformative journey that is wholly their own. They also embrace the role technology can play, not only in making their travel experience more efficient but also in enhancing the planning stage through the use of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies,” added Somerville.

How ‘experiential travel’ shapes our personality

Not too long ago, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has also commissioned a study, revealing that travel experiences are key when it comes to shaping our personality. This was concluded in a collaboration with neuropsychologist and professor Lutz Jäncke, who holds a chair in neuropsychology at the University of Zurich’s Department of Psychology.

Professor Jäncke explained: “Travel and our travel memories have the power to shape our personality. We are what we remember, or, more precisely — we are what we remember about ourselves.

“The information stored in our memory spans the whole range of our personal experiences. Holiday and travel memories take a prioritised position within this realm of experiences, which is why they are major pillars of our personality.”