Expedia has released a new report exploring the future of travel in Asia Pacific, analysing demand and traveller expectations and with rises in travel predicted all round it brings new challenges.
Expedia’s Mapping The Future of APAC Travel, says increased travel demand in APAC is no longer a far-off possibility. It points out that 65% of those surveyed expect overall APAC demand for their business to increase over the next two to three years, driven by growth in luxury leisure travel. With increased demand comes increased expectations, from the booking process as well as the overall travel experience. Areas identified as becoming increasingly important to travellers are local and diverse payment options, the ability to book through AI tools, sustainable travel options and flexible change and cancellation options.
Also notable was that 70% of respondents identified buy now/pay later plans, global credit and debit cards, and loyalty points or miles as full or partial payments among the most important payment options.
. . . Challenges
At the same time the report highlighted that businesses face growing pressures. Lack of localised content stands out as one of the biggest challenges businesses face in trying to engage APAC travellers. This is followed by limited ability to offer competitive prices or promotions, technology limitations and limited ability to support local payment methods or currencies, as well as access to the right mix of inventory.
For travellers, the report noted the top pain points as finding content that feels local and relevant, as well as discoverability in search and AI-driven environments, friction around changes and cancellations, disruption management, and limited payment options. See the full report HERE.
