Strong Performance for Asia Pacific Travel

Asia Pacific travel is on the up, according to the latest booking figures issued today by Abacus International.

In August 2005, total bookings on the Abacus system increased by 19% over the corresponding period in 2004 to more than 4.41 million. As with previous months, Intra-Asia travel accounted for the majority of bookings made at more than 81%.

Intra-Asia travel continued to grow steadily with bookings in August posting a 17% rise over the corresponding period last year. The surprise star performer was the Asia to Middle East route, which recorded a 107% increase over the same period in 2004.

Abacus President and CEO Don Birch said, “As we said at the beginning of the year, 2005 looks to be another record year for Asia Pacific travel as regional governments place more emphasis on developing tourism infrastructure and cultivating the tourist dollar.

“Despite the higher oil prices, the Asian Development Bank expects 6.6% GDP growth for regional economies this year, which I believe will translate into a travel growth rate of 6-8% across the region,” Mr Birch added.

E-ticketing

Electronic ticketing for the month of August increased by 70% over August 2004, with the newer e-ticketing markets the Philippines and Thailand recording the highest growth rates at 970% and 505% respectively. Nearly three million e-tickets have been issued to date this year, an increase of 83% over the same period last year.

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