MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Highlights for Australia and China

MasterCard has released the eagerly anticipated results of its latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel report, predicting steady growth in outbound travel across Asia Pacific in the first half of 2008, despite the economic uncertainty clouding world financial markets.  

Below are the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel - First Half 2008 Market Specific Highlights. To get the full picture however, it is important to view them in conjunction with the main page, entitled: Steady Growth in Outbound Asia Pacific Travel Forecast Despite Economic Uncertainty.

Due to the amount of data we have cut the Market Specific Highlights into different pages. The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel - First Half 2008 Market Specific Highlights features the following countries: Australia and China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, Japan and Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

AUSTRALIA - Forecast on Outbound Travel for the First Half of 2008

• 12% year-on-year growth • 2.8 million outbound travelers forecasted for the next six months

Survey on Personal Travel

• Key sources of information used by travelers in planning their trips were familiarity with place (36.2%), followed by word of mouth (34.1%) and travel agent (26.1%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (55.1%), followed by falling sick or no proper medical facilities( 23.2% each), and not being able to get the right kind of food and water ( 19.6%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing (54.3% each), shopping (37.7%), and entertainment (34.8%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad included apparel and personal effects (63%), local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (42%), and luxury items/ jewelry/ branded goods (26.1%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Australian travelers was the US (23.9%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 38.6% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• China (36.4%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by the US and New Zealand (15.9%).

• Majority of business travelers (65.9%) made their own travel arrangements.

• Qantas (59.1%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Singapore Airlines (13.6%), Emirates and Vietnam Air (4.5% each).

• International four-star hotels (38.6%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by international five-star/higher end hotels (20.5%). 

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (68.3%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 23.4% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 8.3% said they would make more.

CHINA - Forecast on Outbound Travel for the First Half of 2008

• 12.4% year-on-year growth • 21.6 million outbound travelers forecasted for the next six months

Survey on Personal Travel

• Key sources of information used by travelers in planning their trips were word of mouth (50.4%), followed by the Internet (47.4%) and travel agents (47%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (48.3%), followed by language barriers/communication problems (41.4%) and losing one’s passport (27.2%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (69.4%), shopping (40.1%) and entertainment (39.2%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad included local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (66.4%), followed by apparel and personal effects (46.6%), and food items (31.5%)

• The favorite personal travel destination for the Chinese travelers was Japan (23.3%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 27.7% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• Hong Kong (31.2%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Singapore (19.9%) and Japan (19.1%).

• Majority of business travelers (36.2%) used the company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Air China (43.3%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by China Southern Airlines (23.4%) and China Eastern Airlines (17%).

• Three-star/medium priced hotels (44.7%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (27%) and international five-star/higher end hotels (12.1%).

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (64.4%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 26.6% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 9% said they would make more.

The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel - First Half 2008 Market Specific Highlights features the following countries: Australia and China, Hong Kong and Indonesia, Japan and Korea, Malaysia and New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

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