MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Highlights for Hong Kong and Indonesia

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.

HONG KONG - Forecast on Outbound Travel for the First Half of 2008:

• 5.6% year-on-year growth • 3.1 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 travel agents (47.7%), followed by word of mouth (37.2%) and Internet (34.5%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (67.8%), followed by losing one’s passport (29.1%) and losing one’s wallet/pocket book (19.8%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (58.1%), shopping (30.6%) and entertainment (22.9%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad are local souvenirs/antiques/arts & crafts (52.7%), followed by food items (36.4%) and apparel and personal effects (30.2%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Hong Kong travelers was Japan (46.1%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 39.2% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more compared to the previous period.

• China (68.4%) was the most frequently visited destination, Taiwan (19%) and followed by Japan, Thailand, the US and Europe (11.4% each).

• Majority of business travelers (65.8%) used their company’s in-house travel department for making business travel arrangements.

• Cathay Pacific (51.9%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Dragon Air (19%) and Singapore Airlines (6.3%).

• International five-star/higher end hotels (41.8%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (35.4%) and international five-star spas and resorts (11.4%).

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (88.7%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 7% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 4.2% said they would make more.

INDONESIA - Forecast on Outbound Travel for the First Half of 2008:

• 4.8% year-on-year growth • 2.2 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 travel agents (56.5%), followed by word of mouth (40.6%) and the internet (39.1%)

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (69.6%), followed by losing one’s passport (50.7%) and losing one’s baggage/luggage (40.6%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were entertainment (63.8%), followed by shopping (49.3%) and rest and relaxation (37.7%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad included local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (69.6%), followed by apparel and personal effects (65.2%) and luxury items/jewelry/branded goods (37.7%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Indonesian travelers was Singapore (52.2%).

Survey on Business Travel

• 33.3% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more compared to the previous period.

• Singapore (51%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Malaysia (33.3%) and Hong Kong (21.6%).

• Majority of business travelers (39.2%) used their company’s in-house travel department for making business travel arrangements.

• Garuda Indonesian Airways (43.1%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Singapore Airlines (25.5%) and Cathay Pacific (5.9%).

• International five-star/ higher end hotels (31.4%) were most preferred for business travel, followed by three-star/medium priced hotels (25.5%) and international four-star hotels (21.6%).

Environment and Travel

• The majority of the respondents (67.7%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 31.3% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 1% 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.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, MasterCard, Survey, Research, MasterIndex