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Strong demand for travel to Asia-Pacific destinations in 2023: study
Tourism to Asia-Pacific countries, which was thriving before the pandemic hit, is set to see a major rebound this year, according to the latest data from Trip.com.
According to Statista (2023), the volume of inbound travellers is expected to grow throughout 2023 and 2024, rising by 94 per cent compared to the previous year.
Regarding tourism growth throughout APAC, Trip.com data analyzed the booking trends to popular destination spots, including Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, and has consistently had high search figures for this region, the company says.
Recently, Trip.com Group has strengthened its partnerships with stakeholders to position Japan as a top destination, with Chief Marketing Officer, Sun Bo, meeting the commissioner of Japan in March 2023.
Japan has consistently been ranked among the top five destinations globally in terms of bookings and search volumes since entry restrictions were eased in Q4 2022.
According to Trip.com data, global hotel bookings for arrivals between March 15 and June 30 increased by 237 per cent YoY.
Global flight bookings also increased by 317 per cent (2022-2023) for travellers during the same period. The most popular European flight routes were from London to Tokyo and Paris to Tokyo.
The best time to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka (Trip.com's top three cities) is between March-April for cherry blossom season in Japan, to witness the world-famous flowers bloom in top tourist spots.
The South Korean government has recently promised to boost exports and attract tourists, according to Reuters. And it has set the goal of attracting 10 million foreign visitors this year.
The number of foreign tourists reached a record 17.5 million in 2019, generating revenue estimated at $20.7 billion, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
Trip.com data reveals that global hotel bookings for arrivals between March 15 to June 30, increased year-on-year (2022-2023) by more than half (51 per cent).
The capital, Seoul, is the most popular visited city, according to Trip.com data.
Jeju Island is the second most popular destination, also favoured among locals. One of Netflix's biggest K-dramas, 'Our Blues' brought international recognition to the volcanic island, with its windswept coastline and mountainous horizons.
Seogwipo on the south side of Jeju Island is for tourists wanting a more relaxing trip, with its volcanic coastline famous for its sea views and scuba diving.
Following China's decision to reopen borders in December 2022, Hong Kong was one of the cities which led the surge as one of the top five tourist destinations for outbound visitors from mainland China.
Trip.com data shows that the most popular attractions within Hong Kong for its customers include Hong Kong Disneyland, Ngong Ping 360 - a cable car experience across the rolling green hills - and The Jurassic Dinosaur Adventure Park.
The most popular flight route was from the UK - Hong Kong, followed by Germany - Hong Kong, and the top five destinations for tourists were mainland China, Singapore, the UK, America and Canada.
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