Sabre has taken a deep dive into festive season bookings to reveal
just where people will be travelling over the next few weeks now that
Covid restrictions are being lifted in most regions.
Americans are heading for the sun and tequila in Mexico in big
numbers, hence the ranking of US-Mexico as the No 1 holiday route over
the festive period.
Japan’s easing of travel restrictions is taking effect with South
Korea to Japan the second most popular holiday route. South Koreans are
also on the move to Vietnam, making it the fifth busiest exodus of
tourists from one country to another.
South Korea is a major inbound source market for Thailand, with the
Thai tourism body expecting to attract more than 500,000 Koreans this
year and over 1.3 million during 2023.
Making up the 10 most popular travel routes in the weeks ahead is the
India-Dubai segment. Sabre says, with eased travel restrictions,
affordable accommodation options and short travel times between the two
countries, the UAE is a popular destination for Indian travellers
looking to spend time with their partners and family.
Sabre’s booking analysis shows most travellers are opting for
destinations close to home for the upcoming holiday period, with 33% of
global travellers choosing domestic travel, compared to 27% in 2019.
Key destination trends include:
• 67% of those
traveling from Asia are choosing to stay within Asia. This was higher
(70%) in 2019, with the drop likely due to ongoing border closures in
China. Top destinations for Asia are Japan, followed by Thailand, which
make up close to a third of bookings.
• It seems some travellers
who may previously have gone to China have switched to Japan or
Thailand, as Japan, Thailand and China together used to make up a third
of trips in 2019.
• While Thailand remains within the top 10
global destinations for the festive season, it has dropped from number
three position to five.
• Fewer travellers from India are choosing
Vietnam this year, compared to 2019, while fewer Japanese travellers
are choosing Thailand.