Corinne Wan
Mobile Use on the rise
Easier said than done. Our mobile devices has become so much a part of our everyday lives that even on holidays – perhaps especially on holidays – we can’t help but tell our friends what we are doing and posting pictures on social networks and apps.
Whatever happened to the notion of taking holidays and using the time to really unwind, free from our mobile devices?
Well, it seems we in Asia have a hard time doing that – disconnecting. I know I struggle with it personally. How many times have I left home and forgot my smartphone and have the taxi drive me home just so I can get it?
According to a survey by Hotels.com, which looked at digital habits across 29 countries, Asian travellers are the biggest mobile “addicts”. Thais were the least prepared to give up their devices during holidays with 85% saying they would be unwilling to do so.
Korea was second with 78%, followed by Japan (69%), China (67%) and Singapore (60%).
In contrast, only 20% of respondents in India said they would be unable to abandon their mobile devices. Folks from Latin America and North America were similarly relaxed about disconnecting.
Taylor L. Cole, travel expert at Hotels.com, said going away on vacation should be a time to unwind. “While smartphones are useful for checking the weather or viewing maps, travellers would benefit from switching off their emails to disconnect and restore a little more of the all-important work-life balance.”
Easier said than done. Our mobile devices has become so much a part of our everyday lives that even on holidays – perhaps especially on holidays – we can’t help but tell our friends what we are doing and posting pictures on social networks and apps.
It’s happening everywhere. Comscore’s “US Mobile App Report” shows that people now spend most of their digital time on mobile apps. In the past year, total time spent on digital media has increased 24% and mobile app use has increased 52%. US users now spend an average of seven out of eight of their mobile minutes on an app.
Social networking, games and music account for nearly half of the total time spent on mobile apps – indicating that mobile has become more of an entertainment platform than desktop computing.
Social networking, games and music account for nearly half of the total time spent on mobile apps – indicating that mobile has become more of an entertainment platform than desktop computing.
With the way we in Asia are buying smartphones – look at the hype which surrounded the release of the iPhone 6 – it is clear mobile is here in a big way and will change travel forever.
So here’s a shout-out to start-ups and entrepreneurs looking to tap into the mobile space – Asia is the place to be.