Market Specific Highlights from MasterCard's Index of Travel Report - Indonesia, Japan and Korea

Results from the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Report, predict steady growth in the number of outbound travelers across Asia Pacific for the second half of 2008 despite the inflation pinch felt all across the region. Below we feature the market specific highlights from the report for Australia, China and Hong Kong, we also feature the results from Indonesia, Japan and Korea, as well as Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines plus Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam on the final page.

Indonesia Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 3.50% year-on-year growth
• 2.7 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 (64.40%), followed by the Internet (42.20%) and word of mouth (35.60%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (55.60%), losing one’s passport (53.30%) and losing one’s wallet/pocket book (33.30%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were entertainment (60.00%), shopping (51.10%) and visiting historical sites/museums/art centers (31.10%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (82.20%), apparel and personal effects (66.70%) and food items and luxury items/jewelry/branded goods (22.20%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Indonesian travelers was Singapore (51.10%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 31.40% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• Singapore (51.40%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Malaysia (28.60%) and Japan and Thailand (8.60%).

• Majority of business travelers (42.90%) used their company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Garuda Indonesian Airlines (34.30%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Singapore Airlines (28.60%) and KLM-Royal Dutch (8.60%).

• International five-star hotels (25.70%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international five-star spa and resorts and international four-star hotels (22.90%) and three-star/medium-paced hotels (20.00%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (78.80%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 12.10% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 9.10% said they would travel more.

Japan Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 2.80% year-on-year growth
• 9.2 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 (47.20%), followed by the Internet (41.70%) and word of mouth (26.40%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (48.60%), language barriers/communication problems (25.00%) and falling sick or no proper medical facilities (11.10%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (68.10%), followed by entertainment (23.60%) and shopping (22.20%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (66.70%), electronic and audio visual products (19.40%) and apparel and personal effects (18.10%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Japanese travelers was Europe (38.90%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 18.40% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• China (36.80%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by South Korea (18.40%) and Taiwan and the US (13.20%).

• Majority of business travelers (60.50%) make their own business travel arrangements.

• Japan Airlines (42.10%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by ANA (39.50%) and Korean Airways (5.30%).

• Three-star/medium priced hotels (39.50%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (23.70%) and serviced apartments (13.20%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (81.60%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 16.30% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 2.00% said they would travel more.

Korea Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 10.50% year-on-year growth
• 7.6 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 (48.80%), followed by the Internet (42.30%) and travel agents (15.40%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (52.00%), language barriers/communication problems (35.80%) and not able to get the right kind of food and drinking water (21.10%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (56.90%), visiting historical sites/museums/art centers (27.60%) and shopping (23.60%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were apparel and personal effects (43.10%), local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (26.80%) and luxury items/jewelry/branded goods (10.60%). (third highest option – don’t know)

• The favorite personal travel destination for Korean travelers was Europe (45.50%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 26.60% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• China (45.70%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by Japan (26.60%) and Thailand (9.60%).

• Majority of business travelers (38.30%) used their company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Korean Airlines (60.60%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Asiana Airlines (22.30%) and Air China (4.30%).

• Three-star/medium priced hotels (43.60%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (27.70%) and local economy hotels (18.10%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (76.50%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 11.00% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 12.50% said they would travel more.

Results from the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Travel Report. We feature the market specific highlights from the report for Australia, China and Hong Kong, and also from Indonesia, Japan and Korea, as well as Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines and lastly but not least Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam on the final page.

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