Market Specific Highlights from MasterCard's Index of Travel Report - Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines

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.

Malaysia Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 5.90% year-on-year growth
• 25.2 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 (57.20%), followed by the Internet (42.80%) and word of mouth (30.60%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (67.60%), losing one’s passport (57.20%) and not being able to get the right kind of food and drinking water (38.20%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were shopping (75.70%), entertainment (64.70%) and general sightseeing and scenic spots (52.00%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were apparel and personal effects (75.10%), followed by local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (54.90%) and luxury items/jewelry/branded goods (47.40%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Malaysian travelers was Singapore (24.30%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 18.20% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• Singapore (60.00%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by China (29.10%) and Hong Kong (23.60%),

• Majority of business travelers (54.50%) used their company’s in-house travel department when making business travel arrangements.

• Malaysian Air (58.20%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Singapore Airlines (16.40%) and Cathay Pacific (7.30%).

• International five-star/higher end hotels, international four-star hotels and three-star/medium priced hotels (21.80% each) were the most preferred for business travel.

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (51.10%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 34.60% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 14.40% said they would travel more.

New Zealand Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 5.50% year-on-year growth
• 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 (71.80%), followed by the Internet (66.10%) and familiarity with place (26.60%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were security and safety issues (46.00%), running out of cash (25.80%) and losing one’s baggages/luggages (17.70%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were entertainment and general sightseeing and scenic spots (71.00%), followed by visiting historical sites/museums/art centers (59.70%) and shopping (58.90%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were apparel and personal effects (69.40%), local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (58.10%) and luxury items/jewelry/branded goods (49.20%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for New Zealander travelers was Europe (61.30%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 23.10% of business travelers said that over the last 12 months, there was the need to travel more as compared to the previous period.

• Australia (73.10%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by the US (23.10%) and Singapore (19.20%).

• Majority of business travelers (57.70%) used a travel arrangement company engaged by their company when making business travel arrangements.

• Air New Zealand (42.30%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Qantas (19.20%) and Singapore Airlines (15.40%).

• International five-star spa and resorts (50.00%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (26.90%) and international five-star/higher end hotels (19.20%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (84.80%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 10.10% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 5.10% said they would travel more.

Philippines Forecast on the Outbound Travel for Second Half of 2008

• 5.20% year-on-year growth
• 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 word of mouth (40.00%), followed by the Internet and familiarity with place (32.00%) and travel agents (24.00%).

• Top concerns for travelers when traveling to a foreign destination were running out of cash (68.00%), security and safety issues (52.00%) and losing one’s passport or one’s baggages/luggages or one’s credit cards/bank cards (48.00%).

• The main activities travelers engaged in when traveling were general sightseeing and scenic spots (88.00%), experiencing different cuisines (84.00%) and rest and relaxation (80.00%).

• Most preferred shopping items for travelers when abroad were food items (72.00%), followed by electronic audiovisual products (64.00%) and apparel and personal effects and local souvenirs/antiques/arts and crafts (56.00%).

• The favorite personal travel destination for Filipino travelers was Hong Kong (52.00%).

Survey on Business Travel:

• 28.60% 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 (57.10%) was the most frequently visited destination, followed by China (28.60%) and Thailand (14.30%).

• Majority of business travelers (57.10%) used a travel arrangement company engaged by their company when making business travel arrangements.

• Philippine Airlines (42.90%) was the most preferred airline for business travel, followed by Cathay Pacific (28.60%) and Malaysian Air (14.30%).

• Three-star/medium priced hotels (64.30%) were the most preferred for business travel, followed by international four-star hotels (14.30%).

Environment and Travel:

• The majority of the respondents (62.90%) are not letting this affect their personal and business travel plans. 28.60% said they would make less personal and business trips because of environmental concerns and 8.60% 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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