Where are Travelers in Asia Staying on New Year’s Eve?
Travelers in Asia are looking for new experiences to celebrate the start of 2022. Famous cities remain hot destinations but the travel trend to ‘escape’ to more off-the-beaten-path nature or beach destinations dominates this year’s New Year’s Eve plans, according to the data from digital travel platform, Agoda. And again this year, travelers are choosing luxury to welcome in the New Year.
Travelers choosing a city staycation is a booming trend and people heading to Asia’s beaches in droves because of the freedom space to social distance from one another.
Across Asia, capital cities are the top destinations for New Year’s Eve, including the return of Bangkok to Thailand’s number one spot. World-class beach destinations like Goa (India) (India #1), Bali (Indonesia), Cebu (Philippines), Pattaya (Thailand), Jeju Island (South Korea), as well as Penang, the food capital of Malaysia also made the list this year. Why? They are taking advantage of the lifting of restrictions to be more adventurous and want to explore more.
Agoda’s data shows that across many markets there are many newcomers to this year’s top 10, including coastal destinations Batam Island (Indonesia, #10), Andaman and Nicobar Island (India, #7), and Kenting (Taiwan, #10). Lush green mountains and scenic destinations, including Khao Kho (Thailand, #9), Bohol (the Philippines, #8), and Ninh Binh (Vietnam, #10) also gained in popularity. And in Vietnam, Sapa and Dalat knock Hanoi out of this year’s top three.
Travelers are taking care of themselves after multiple lockdowns this year. According to data by Agoda, the preference for 4-star and 5-star hotels is even stronger with Taiwan and Thailand travelers upgrading to 4-star and 5-star hotels, from 1-star to 3.5-star accommodations for New Year’s Eve this year. It’s a sign that consumers want luxury.
“Data shows that Taiwanese and Thai travelers are booking higher star category hotels compared to last year, joining travelers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, and Vietnam in the hunt for a luxurious end to a tough 2021,” says Timothy Hughes, Vice President Corporate Development, Agoda.
However, in India, 1-star to 3.5-star hotels remain popular among travelers, reflective of trends in 2020.
“Travel is back, although domestic travel remains the predominant source of business for Asian destinations during this New Year’s Eve celebration season,” said Hughes. “Agoda data shows that in addition to the big city, traditional, celebration destinations, travelers across Asia are showing their ongoing desire to get out, to get away, and to escape the constrictions and controls of Covid impacted cities.”
About the data
Agoda booking data was collated on 18 December 2020 for New Year’s Eve booking in 2020 and 1 December 2021 for New Year’s Eve domestic bookings in 2021.
About Agoda
Agoda helps anyone travel anywhere with its great value deals on a global network of 2.9 million hotels and holiday properties worldwide, plus flights, airport transfers, and more. Agoda.com and the Agoda mobile app are available in 39 languages and supported by 24/7 customer support.
Headquartered in Singapore, Agoda is part of Booking Holdings (Nasdaq: BKNG) and employs more than 4,000 staff in 25 markets, dedicated to leveraging best-in-class technology to make travel even easier.
