The Expedia group has reported that travel demand from Asia for hotel bookings in Australia increased more than 80% in the third quarter of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013.
David Hamblin, senior director of Market Management for Australia, said the Q3 data provided valuable insights for Australian operators looking to drive more business from Asian markets.
“Our latest travel demand data from Asia shows that international travellers stay longer, book further in advance and are less likely to cancel their stay,” he said.
“Underpinned by our sophisticated global network, our data enables us to share booking trends with our hotel partners to help them boost profitability.
“With these insights, we work with our hotel partners to target international travellers through merchandising campaigns, promotions and targeted sales,” Hamblin said.
Key findings from the Expedia Q3 travel demand data include:
Malaysia – the fastest growing Asian market
Trends identified during Q3 indicated Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea were the top Asian demand markets for Australia, but the strongest growth in demand came from Malaysia. Expedia experienced triple-digit growth from Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and China in Q3. Malaysian travellers also stayed the longest – at around three days on average compared with Australian travellers who stayed just two days.
Melbourne and Perth proving popular
Sydney, Melbourne and Perth were the top Australian destinations for travellers from Asia, with Melbourne and Perth both experiencing triple-digit growth in Q3.
Japanese most organised, Indonesians paid the most for their room
When looking at the booking window across the different nationalities, Japanese travellers were the most organised, booking on average 39 days ahead of their stay. Singaporeans booked 36 days ahead and Australian travellers booked 12 days later than their counterparts from Asia at only three weeks ahead of their stay date. Indonesian travellers spent $20 more per night on their hotel room than their Australian counterparts – $202 vs $180 per night respectively. Singaporean and Chinese travellers paid $179 and $178 per night respectively.
Mobile bookings continue to grow
When analysing all mobile bookings into Australia, Expedia data showed mobile demand continues to rise, with around a third of bookings occurring on a Friday or Saturday, and around half of all mobile demand coming through within 14 days from the stay date. The fastest growing international markets for mobile demand in Q3 were Malaysia, China and Taiwan.
Greg Illingworth, general manager of the Hotel Collins in Hobart, said: “At Hotel Collins we have found that with the assistance of the Expedia group we have managed to show a year-on-year (YOY) increase in our Asian inbound guests of 122%.
“This far exceeds our YOY overall growth. The confidence shown in the Tasmanian market from this sector is demonstrated by the stronger than normal lead time and the increase in length of stay.”