Visa has announced the results of its Global Travel Intentions Study 2015, stating that travellers from the Asia Pacific regions are now leading the world in leisure travel.
The Study shows that travellers from the Asia Pacific region took more leisure trips in the past two years than any of the other countries surveyed, with more than eight in 10 (84%) of those in the region having travelled solely for leisure in that time.
This is well ahead of the global average of 76%, including the Americas (79%) and Europe (81%).
The Study of 13,603 travellers, who have either travelled in the past 24 months or intend to travel in the next 24 months, also found leisure travel to be most prevalent among the affluent (88%) and among 36 to 44 year olds (80%).
In the past two years, travellers from Singapore took the most leisure trips (95%), followed by those from Hong Kong (92%), South Korea (90%) and Malaysia (90%).
On average, Asia Pacific travellers who took part in the Study made six international trips in the past two years, three of which were for leisure.
In addition, according to the Study findings, Asia Pacific travellers are the most likely to mix business with leisure while overseas. 22% of Asia Pacific travellers say their most recent trip was for business and leisure, ahead of the global average of 16%.
Vivian Pan, senior director of cross-border and channel marketing, Visa Asia Pacific, said: “Asia Pacific is an extremely well-connected region, and going abroad for leisure travel holds a special appeal for Asia Pacific travellers as they are keen to explore new places and gain new international experiences.
“This love of international travel, coupled with rising disposable personal incomes, has led to travellers from this region driving the increased desire for more trips, leading to more travel spending.”
Asia Pacific is also leading globally with the sharpest rise in terms of likelihood to spend more (71%), followed by the Americas (66%) and Europe (56%). According to the Study, respondents from Asia Pacific indicated that their travel spend for their next trip is likely to average US$3,501.
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