Visa and the Pacific Asia Travel Association survey reveals what tourists are ready to pay extra money for.
Even in the time of crisis, tourists are willing to pay an extra for things they really want. The “Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond” survey identifies customers’ demand in this respect.
The survey was commissioned by the Visa and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and conducted by Synovate last year. They surveyed 5,554 respondents from 11 key Asia Pacific travel source markets namely from Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. All the respondents were 18 or older and they were asked about their past and future travel plans. The survey was conducted via the Internet.
The top five things people would agree to pay an extra for were: experiencing different cultures (57 percent), hassle-free service (54 percent), good customer service (53 percent), exotic destinations (53 percent) and cultural immersion programs (40 percent).
Naturally, there were some differences between the women’s and men’s preferences. Both men (55 per cent) and women (59 per cent) were willing to spend more for the possibility to experience a different culture. Second most popular item from the survey for women was a vacation in an exotic destination while most men ranked good customer service as number two.
According to Meranda Chan Visa and PATA Board Director, customers these days have more possibilities how to have a unique and hassle free vacation and they are willing to pay for it. They can also easily travel to more destinations than ever before and they like to experience local cultures.
As Greg Duffell, President and CEO of the PATA says, identification of people’s demand and identification of their willingness to pay is very important for the business. This information may prove invaluable for attracting tourists and for marketing purposes.
