More travellers are getting behind the wheel while overseas, as new data shows self-drive travel is taking off, especially across Asia Pacific.
Global car rental bookings have surged 81% over the past year, says Trip.com.
Japan is the most popular destination, it says, with bookings up 119% year-on-year. South Korea and Australia are also popular destinations, recording year-on-year growth of 148% and 74%, respectively.
Further afield, car rental bookings in the US were up 54%, while in Europe, the standout destinations were Italy, Spain and Germany, with bookings up 88%, 80% and 75% year-on-year, respectively.
TripMoments data also shows drive-related content from Spain rose 662% year-on-year, while the UK and Italy jumped 371% and 211%, respectively.
Families are among the key demographics opting to self-drive, with travellers aged 25–44 accounting for the majority of bookings. Among family travellers, those with young children represent over half of road trip bookings. It also points out that on TripMoments family road trip content is up 309% year-on-year.
. . . Other Data
The data also names sedans as the most popular vehicle choice for self-drive journeys, accounting for 52% of bookings, followed by SUVs at 29% and passenger vans at 17%.
Convenience remains a key consideration and automatic vehicles account for 95% of bookings.
Travellers are also becoming more organised, with the average booking lead time now about a week longer year-on-year, and most bookings are prepaid on-line.
Travellers are also said to be placing greater emphasis on protection with insurance purchases up 131% year-on-year. See more HERE.
