PATA Report, Young Asian Dream Destinations Revealed

Bangkok (Thailand) – August 14, 2014 – The rapid emergence of Asian economies and the accompanying boom in travel has attracted the attention of the global travel and tourism community, as well as countless others. In recent years the sheer number of outbound travellers from Asian countries combined with their well-documented spending power has made an impact beyond Asia and the Pacific region, as destinations in all other regions race to understand the Asian traveller and adapt their products and services accordingly.

The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller, released today by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), explains how and why it is predominantly young people that are fuelling this growth, looking to explore the world beyond their country’s borders. In line with PATA’s ‘Next Gen’ strategy, the report is intended to help tourism industry professionals around the world to understand the importance of engaging with young people, both as consumers and employees in the travel and tourism industry, and to give them an understanding of the power of the young Asian traveller to shape global travel and tourism in the years to come.

Nearly 3,000 travellers between the ages of 15-34 participated in an online survey distributed across 13 countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia including China, Korea (ROK), Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Among the findings readers can discover:

– Why youth travel does not always mean ‘budget travel’ in Asia

– What the leap to mobile technology will mean for travel providers across the region

– How low cost carriers have capitalised so successfully on the youth market across the region

– Why the most sophisticated tourism boards look to attract students as well as leisure travellers

– Who exerts the biggest influence on young Asians’ travel decisions

– Why it is important to start reaching the next generation of your brand’s consumers today

PATA CEO Martin J. Craigs said, “This report highlights very effectively why Asia’s top destinations and tourism brands need to sit up and take notice of young consumers and their travel tastes. Today’s young travellers will very quickly become business and family travellers, so it is important to show them your trust and loyalty from a very early stage. At PATA we like to lead by example, nurturing talent for the future and putting youth at the heart of our efforts in Human Capital Development, and it is certainly paying off for us”.

The report features contributions from Aloft Bangkok, Bangkok Vanguards, Bnbhero, Digital Innovation Asia, Flip’n Travels, Korea Tourism Organization, Lagisatu, PhoCusWright, Qunar, South East Asia Backpacker, Taylor’s University, Tourism Australia, TripAdvisor, and Trippiece.

PATA would also like to thank the following National Tourism Organizations for their cooperation: Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam; Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Indonesia; Japan National Tourism Organization; Korea Tourism Organization; Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia; Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar; and Tourism Authority of Thailand.

About the report:
The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller draws upon primary and secondary research to present the market profile of consumers aged 15-29 years (in accordance with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) definition of ‘youth travel’) from thirteen countries across Northeast and Southeast Asia (‘ASEAN+3’), primarily: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Chinese Taipei), Indonesia, Japan, Korea (ROK), Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It was authored by Peter Jordan, a specialist on the global youth travel industry and Millennial traveller trends.

A brief summary of the report can be viewed here. To order the full report or any other PATA publication, please visit www.patastore.com or contact publications@PATA.org.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 90 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 30 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 57 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 41 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney, Dubai, London and New York. Visit www.PATA.org.

Join us at PATA Travel Mart 2014 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on September 17-19, 2014.

Media Contact:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Manager – Communications
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 658 2000
E-mail: Communications@PATA.org
Online newsroom: www.PATA.org/Press