Criteo S.A., the commerce media company, today released the findings from its latest travel report, 2022 Travel Commerce Insights. According to the report, hotel & rental and airline bookings rebounded to match or surpass the pre-pandemic level globally. Report also highlights that Indian travellers showed the strongest interest to lower their carbon footprint when traveling, and for travel during summer among APAC countries surveyed. In terms of the destination, 74% of Indian travellers answered they are likely to make an online booking for domestic travel.
On the India and APAC travel trends, the report highlights the following insights:
- 2 in 5 APAC travellers answered they will travel for personal purposes (visiting family and friends) this summer. Reconnecting with family and friends remains a priority for 69% of Indians. While in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, travellers seek relaxation for their next trip.
- The intent for travel in summer is polarized between countries in APAC. While Indian and South Korean travellers have a strong interest in travel during summer, the intent is lower in Singapore and Japan.
- Indian consumers strongly intend to lower their carbon footprint, which was highest among Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and India.
- Of all factors considered when comparing travel providers, Indian travellers most often selected positive reviews, with 61% of survey respondents identifying good ratings as a key consideration.
- According to the survey, most APAC travellers opt for a 0-2 nights stay plan for personal/business trips.
- Furthermore, 78% of APAC travellers begin their travel search via mobile web, and nearly two-thirds finalize their booking on a mobile app.
The findings show that global airline booking reached new heights, overtaking the 2019 (pre-pandemic) benchmark. APAC travel conversion rates for air bookings outpace those for hotels, which improved 29% YoY in May 2022. Airline travel conversion rates in APAC have undergone a huge acceleration, as indicated by the number of reservations relative to site traffic in May 2022. Airline bookings climbed 377% YoY, while airline site traffic increased 235%. In addition, over half of APAC travellers (57%) said that they plan to book flights directly on the airline website. At the same time, 49% prefer to book their flights through the websites of travel agencies.
The report further reveals that the APAC region had the maximum hotel bookings in May 2022 compared to May 2019, 2020, and 2021. The survey discloses that hotel websites and online travel agencies (OTAs) are used nearly equally for booking hotels. 53% of the APAC travellers answered that they book hotel/lodging using websites and 48% through online travel agency websites. At the same time, 11-15% of the consumers responded to the survey that they consider calls or physical visits to hotels’ sales office or travel agencies while booking a stay.