New research shows mass-affluent Asian travellers expected to boost the travel industry

The growing Asian middle class is expected to increase to 3.5 billion people and make up two-thirds of the global middle class by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. To help you tap into this booming Asian market, we recently commissioned new research in partnership with Atomik Research, revealing invaluable insights on the latest Asian travel trends.   

The study surveyed 4,000 mass-affluent (middle class with disposable income) respondents across key Asian countries—including China, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam—to help you better understand how to reach and engage this growing demographic of travellers. 

A particular area of interest we investigated was the impact of rising inflation in Asian countries on travel. 

Despite economic challenges, enthusiasm for travel remains high across Asia, as 81% of respondents to our study claim travel is still a priority despite inflation. For many, travel is more important than material goods, with 39% saying they’ll prioritise travel over other major purchases like new cars, home improvements or electronics. 

Travellers also plan to dedicate nearly a quarter of their income to travel over the next 12 months, with much of that budget focused on travel experiences like hotels and excursions. 

Though inflation concerns are not affecting Asian travellers’ desire to travel, deals are still essential to stay competitive since 75% of our respondents say they’ll still seek deals, discounts or packages. Whether you’re a hotel considering our Members Only Deals or an airline that wants to level up your loyalty programme, offering tailored discounts and inflation-friendly deals can tap into a ready and eager audience.

We found that long-haul travel is increasingly popular among Asian travellers, with Japan, the United States, Canada, France, South Korea, Australia and Germany rounding out the most popular global destinations for the demographic. In fact, in our study, more than half (51%) say they plan to visit a country in Western Europe, and 46% say they plan to visit North America within the next 12 months.

We saw significant variation in trip length and number of destinations when drilling down by region. Most respondents from India say they plan to visit five or more destinations, while those in Singapore, China, Indonesia and Vietnam plan to visit four or fewer.

Clearly making the most of their trips, respondents in India, on average, reported their next international trip will be a whopping 14 days over five destinations, compared to Vietnam’s eight days over four destinations.

To capitalise on this emerging demographic of travellers, it’s essential for travel businesses to appear where it matters. Visibility boosters—marketing solutions that can help your services get seen by travellers—are a great way to stand out from competitors, including features like our Flights Sponsored Listings for airlines or Accelerator for hotels.   

Asian travellers are seeking curated, well-planned experiences, according to our data. More than one in three of our study respondents rely on travel agents, while the majority (72%) say they use apps like Expedia when booking.  

Here’s what that looks like broken down:

Loyalty programmes continue to be a significant draw for travellers, with 86% of respondents confirming they are members of a loyalty programme (either airline, hotel brand, financial institution or online travel agency). You can draw in loyal travellers by promoting perks in their content and channels, alongside offering exclusive discounts, perks and points for loyal travellers throughout their booking, with programmes like Member Only Deals and VIP access.

As the number of Asian travellers increases, their influence on global travel trends will only grow. Despite the desire to find inflation-busting deals, according to our research, they’re also interested in premium experiences:

• 53% were interested in luxury amenities
• 52% were interested in experiential excursions
• 40% were interested in cultural immersion
• 39% were interested in guided tours
• 31% were interested in hotels with a Michelin chef

The expectations for accommodation among Asian travellers vary by country. However, common threads emerged in our study, including amenities like complimentary transportation (91%), bottled water (90%) and toothbrushes (87%). Travellers from India and Indonesia place more importance on complimentary breakfast, shampoo and conditioner, as well as transportation. 

This opens the door for travel businesses to create standout offerings that cater to the Asian traveller’s desire for unforgettable experiences. With these newfound insights, partners can tweak their targeting based on shifting Asian preferences, allowing them to better serve travellers in the region. They should ensure that the amenities and experiences they offer are well advertised and up to date in their listing, so that their target audience have all the information they need to make a decision.

Asian travellers are open to inspiration, with 30% indicating they are undecided about their destination before booking a trip.

Expedia Group’s travel media network leverages first-party data to offer custom advertising strategies. These data-driven insights allow brands to create targeted campaigns that resonate with travellers when they are most open to inspiration and influence. This approach not only enhances engagement but also improves the chances of guiding travellers’ destination choices effectively. There has never been a better time to start targeting the rapidly growing Asian travel market.