Released last week, TripBarometer is based upon an online survey compiled in December 2012 and January 2013 by research company StrategyOne.
TripAdvisor said 35,042 people from 26 countries in seven regions took part in the online survey. Of these, 510 were from Thailand.
According to the TripBarometer, 83 per cent of Thais polled in the survey said they are planning to increase their travel spend in 2013.
72 per cent of Thai respondents said price was the most important factor in booking accommodation, following by location (58 per cent), attractions or nearby activities (50 per cent); accommodation amenities (45 per cent), and online reviews (30 per cent).
In addition, 72 per cent said they would consider one to five properties before making a booking, while 21 per cent said they would consider six to 10 properties and 3 per cent said they would consider 11 to 15 properties.
Thai travelers, the survey found, use social networks even during a trip. They are among the most avid users globally (52 per cent) when researching and planning their trips, with the most popular being Facebook (88 per cent) ahead of Google+ (58 per cent), and Twitter (22 per cent).
TripAdvisor Asia Pacific vice president, Cindy Tan, said: “In an ever connected world, it is clear that Thai travellers are turning to the internet … from researching their trips to getting advice and recommendations on where to go and to keeping in contact with friends.”
Asians, and particularly Singaporeans, lead the world in online bookings and use of mobile technology to manage vacations and business trips, another survey commissioned by Singapore-based hotel booking site AsiaRooms.
Conducted by independent market research firm VisionOne UK, the survey polled the views of more than 12,000 online participants in over 25 major international markets, spanning Asia Pacific, America and Europe.
Clarence Lin, brand development lead at AsiaRooms, said, “This year’s index reveals continuing appetite for overseas travel and growing popularity of online accommodation bookings, especially in Asia.”
The index revealed the following travel trends:
Asians proved most likely to book their business and leisure trips online, with 75.2 per cent of respondents making online bookings this year compared to the global average of 65.4 per cent.
- Singapore topped the list with 84.3 per cent of respondents having made an online booking in the past 12 months.
- The majority of travellers (75 per cent) are active on an average of one to three social media platforms, visiting these sites between one to three times daily.
More than half (53.4 per cent) of all respondents indicated that people within their social media circles influenced their decisions on online accommodation use, while 28.2 per cent said that even strangers on social media sites could influence their travel-related decisions.
Almost half (46 per cent) of the respondents said they search for travel accommodation using mobile devices, nine points up from last year’s survey.
Again, Asia is leading the charge, with 59 per cent using mobile devices to search. Respondents from Asia were also the most likely to make a travel-related transaction online.
- Respondents are still generally careful with their money, but price is less of a factor in influencing accommodation decisions this year – there was a 9.4 per cent decrease in price sensitivity compared with last year.
The most significant change in price sensitivity is reflected in Asia, with 17.5 per cent fewer respondents stating cost-savings as a primary cause for lower accommodation usage in the next 12 months.
- Globally, 29 per cent of all respondents indicated that they prefer to pay for their accommodation only when they check out, as opposed to paying a basic room rate in advance (24 per cent) or paying an advance deposit (23 per cent).
- Approximately 60 per cent of men and women who booked accommodation online in the past 12 months went overseas for leisure.
In the Asia Pacific region – unlike the rest of the world – women led the charge, with 53 per cent of women having traveled for leisure overseas in the last 12 months, compared with 51 per cent of men. – TTR Weekly/AsiaTravelTips