FEELING the wanderlust in you? Visa Inc. said it must be technologically related.
Visa’s report, “Mapping the Future of Global Travel and Tourism in Asia Pacific,” said a rapid uptake in Internet access and the number of mobile devices around the world allow awareness of travel options to spread.
“The forces of technology and globalization are making our world smaller and more connected every day,” the report said. “The expansion of Internet access, as well as the proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices, is facilitating ‘real-time’ travel—whether it is canvasing online bulletin boards for restaurant or beach recommendations, getting directions to a museum or stadium from a GPS-enabled app, or booking a last-minute hotel room or flight while you are on the road.”
According to Visa, greater digital connectivity “is also influencing where we decide to go.”
“While travel agencies, guidebooks and friends are all important sources for trip advice, they are increasingly supplemented by online resources,” the report said. “International travel is becoming more spontaneous and customized—and travelers will become increasingly responsive to all kinds of online information, social-media buzz and major news events.”
These trends, according to Visa, “suggest that the era of the mass-produced travel experience is over.”
“Digital connectivity is not only fostering greater spontaneity in travel but also spurring a broader array of personalized travel and tourism options, as well.”
The report pegged the Philippines as among the top 5 Asia-Pacific markets with highest average number of countries visited by a Visa credit-card holder last year. In 2015 the Philippines and Hong Kong were visited five times by a Visa credit-card holder, the report showed. These followed Australia, New Zealand and India (No. 1 on the list).
The report noted that Russian trips to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore accelerated strongly in the first quarter of the year.
Accommodation site Agoda, to note, cited Palawan as one of top 10 destinations across Asia that have received the largest year-over-year jumps in bookings from Australian travelers. Palawan bookings by Australian travelers rose 33 percent year-on-year, Agoda said in a statement.
According to the Visa report, some 109 million Asia-Pacific households are expected to go on an international trip once a year by 2025, up 65 percent from last year. Visa’s report also forecasts average annual spending by households during a trip likely to rise 8 percent to $5,230 (P246,356.54).