Confidence in AI-powered travel planning is growing, though adoption varies widely across different age groups and markets.
Travellers keen to explore off-the-beaten-track explorations, but safety remains a top priority, especially in India, Singapore and South Korea.
November 2024 – Leading global travel app Skyscanner has published its latest industry travel report exploring the latest trends in travel. Titled ‘Skyscanner Horizons: 2024/5 spending, planning and destination insights’, the report unpacks and explores a combination of consumer survey and proprietary search data to provide the industry with a unique view of how travellers are thinking about their plans for the next 12 months.
Surveying 19,000 consumers across 16 markets, the report delves into key indicators such as travel propensity, spend, trip type, and the trip planning process, including the top sources of destination inspiration, AI use and views on overtourism. Of the total, there were 6,000 survey respondents from APAC countries — Australia, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Skyscanner's search data further complements these insights by offering details on destination choice, average lead times, average trip length and year-on-year search volume comparisons.
The full global industry report, covering APAC, AMER and EMEA regions, is available here.
Indian travellers are leading the charge in the APAC region, with 66% planning to travel more in 2025. Overall, across the APAC region, travel and travel expenditure remain a priority, with 80% of travellers planning to take as many, if not more, trips next year than in 2024.
Key findings relevant to the APAC region summarised below.
Travellers seeking out collective experiences
Across the board, travel behaviour is being shaped by a desire for collective experiences, from sports events and immersive art installations to gaming “pilgrimages” that bring people together. Seven travel trends were identified, consisting of Sport mode, Astro Adventurers, Reset Jetters, Art-Venture, Cowboy Core, Horti-Culture and Gami-Vacation. More details here.
Travel remains priority, with travellers expecting to spend more
Travel Spend:
Across APAC, 72% of travellers are planning to spend more or the same on flights in 2025 versus the previous year.
Similarly for accommodation and car hire related behaviour, 71% and 46% of travellers in the region are planning to spend more or the same, respectively.
Looking at Indian travellers, half or more travellers (58%) are planning to budget more on their flights for their travel in 2025.
45% of Indians are planning to budget more on their accommodation and 34% are keen to spend more on car hires.
Ancillaries Spend:
Top flight upgrades for APAC travellers were seat selection (38%), insurance (38%), better quality food (29%), access to airport lounge (25%) and extra baggage (23%).
About one third (31%) are willing to upgrade their hotel rooms – for example to a larger room or one with a sea view – and the same proportion would be open to upgrading accommodation for a higher star rating.
Top upgrades for Indian travellers include first/ business class flights (37%), airport lounge access (42%), extra baggage (36%), and travel insurance (34%).
57% of Indian travellers are willing to pay extra for better in-flight meals, the highest globally. Food remains a top priority even in the skies. For accommodation, 41% of Indian travellers want to upgrade their room to a larger room or one with a sea view, and 35% want to move from a 4-star to a 5-star.
Cost and food shape travel choices
Outside of costs, food is the biggest decision-making factor when choosing a destination.
For APAC travellers, two thirds (67%) regard food as an important factor in their decision-making process.
Other top factors for APAC travellers include weather (55%), natural landscape (55%), the attractions (54%) and culture (54%).
For Indian travellers, cost is a significant factor when choosing a holiday destination, with 65% considering hotel prices, 62% focusing on flights, and 54% on food and drinks.
Confidence in using AI for planning grows
46% of APAC travellers express confidence in using AI tools to assist with travel planning and booking, with about 1 in 6 (17%) indicating they are very confident.
Top four applications of AI in travel include destination research (40%), the creation of travel itineraries (36%), comparison of options (33%), and destination inspiration (31%).
This trend mirrors in India where travellers are increasingly relying on AI for travel planning, with 84% feeling confident in using it for destination research (52%), flight booking (50%), comparing options and prices (48%), and finding destination inspiration (46%).
Attitudes towards over-tourism and impact
When asked how they would change the way they travel in the future, more than one in four (27%) APAC travellers said they would consider less touristy destinations and 25% would try to make a positive impact on the places they go. Notably, Indian travellers are the most inclined to make a positive contribution to the destinations they visit.
When discussing factors that will influence their choice: Travellers are increasingly interested in exploring lesser-known destinations, with more than one in four (27%) APAC respondents expressing intentions to visit these less touristed areas.
59% of APAC travellers cited safety as a top reason for hesitance to choose an under-touristed destination over a popular one. A high proportion of Singapore (67%), India (60%) and Korea travellers (64%) contributed to this sentiment.
Additionally, understanding where to go (36%) and confidence in available activities at the destination (34%) were also significant factors influencing their decisions to travel to lesser-known locations.
Top sources of travel inspiration
Social media and word-of-mouth recommendations are the leading sources of travel inspiration for travellers worldwide.
More than half of APAC respondents (55%) look to social media for travel ideas, while 45% rely on word-of-mouth recommendations.
Other notable sources include online media (42%), films and television shows (40%) and guidebooks (28%), all of which play significant roles in shaping travel choices.
In India, this trend shines even brighter with 68% of travellers turning to social media for travel ideas, while 57% rely on online media, including newspapers and magazines, and 52% seek inspiration from film and TV.
2025 destination trends and trip lengths
Travellers continue to seek inspiration through Skyscanner’s popular ‘Everywhere’ search feature, which ranks highly across all regions. The top destinations identified in APAC revealed a preference for big cities across Asia.
Average trip length is short, peaking at six days, apart from London at two weeks. Across the board, trip lengths are down YoY by around a day. Average lead times broadly fall between 30 and 70 days, with the highest being for London and Tokyo. Travellers are booking flights to New Delhi, on average, just 28 days before departure.
Trending destinations identified in APAC showed a love for off-the-beaten path Asian destinations – with Dayong, China and Shillong, India both experiencing large YoY increases in search volume of over 800%. Dayong, home to UNESCO World Heritage Site Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, is experiencing a surge in popularity among eco-tourists thanks to the park's unspoiled landscapes and rich cultural heritage. Shillong, often called "Scotland of the East," attracts visitors with its green fields, misty mountains, and lingering traces of colonial influence. Smaller destinations in India, Japan and Cambodia are seeing a surge in popularity, taking up six of the top 10. Average trip lengths are short – all in single digits – as travellers keep their visits brief.
Hugh Aitkens, VP, Strategic Relations and Development at Skyscanner: “Many airlines are adopting new technologies, and at pace, to better serve travellers and respond to market demand. This includes AI-driven revenue management decisions and more personalised and dynamic offers. At the same time, airlines are grappling with global macro-economic pressures and geo-political issues which are putting strain on routes and profitability.
However, our data shows that travel demand remains resilient, and travellers are adapting their itineraries as they seek out collective experiences. This blend of resilience, ingenuity and innovation from both travellers and airlines looks set to make next year a transformative one for all. Looking ahead, we expect the market to become more active with seat sales and promotions as airlines compete for share of wallet."
The report also features exclusive expert commentary on these trends shaping 2025’s travel outlook from Skyscanner executives and industry thought leaders Digital Tourism Think Tank, Pacific Asia Travel Association and the US Travel Association.
Skyscanner continues to be a strategic partner for some of the biggest brands, airlines and DMOs in the world; working with companies from across the travel ecosystem including DMOs like Visit California and tourism organisations like Seoul Tourism Foundation to promote destinations, powering the next generation of AI travel tools such as Bing Chat and Layla, bolstering targeted marketing through streaming platforms Jio Cinema as well as helping airlines such as Akasa Air promote their unique offers via NDC and launch new routes based on data intelligence.
