The study conducted by Ipsos -- a global market research company - shows 76 percent of Asian travelers want to expand their prospect by 'trying something new' this year as against 69 percent of all those questioned globally.
According to the study, one in four Asian travelers will go solo while 21 percent will opt for a cruise and one in five will look for adventure travel experiences.
“The report has rightly pointed out the need for more marketing activities in Asian markets as Asian people are more interested toward rafting trekking and yoga, among others, and their purchasing power is getting better which is also reflected in their spending ability,” Rajan Simkhada, president of Earthbound Expeditions, said.
For the survey, Ipsos questioned 34,026 travelers in 32 separate source markets. The study was conducted with the help from TripAdvisor.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel has always been saying that Nepal will be focusing on China and India for faster recovery of tourism. As number of outbound Chinese travelers as well as Asian travelers is increasing, Nepal can take utmost benefit from this.
According to the report, Indonesian travelers are the biggest thrill-seekers, with 30 percent planning to book an adventure travel holiday in 2016.
Indian and Thai travelers, each 29 percent, are also set to take a more adventurous trip, according to the study.
“Indians have slowly started showing interest on hiking and trekking. Among people whom I met recently in Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF), Bangalore, most of the youngsters, especially those in the field of IT, were interested in adventure activities,” Sunil Sharma-officiating director, PR and Publicity, of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), said.
Sharma also said that NTB is diversifying the way it works and is also planning to conduct an interactive session with youths in India to provide them more information on adventure activities in Nepal.
Global economic uncertainties appear to be having minimal impact upon travel budgets. The study has found that one in three travelers is planning to spend more on leisure trips this year. “Although inflation contributes to rising travel costs for some, a significant number of those planning to spend more i.e.49 percent stated that it's because they and/or their family members deserve it. Thirty one percent believe that such spending is an important contribution to maintaining good health and wellbeing,” the report states.
This year Baby Boomers (65 yrs+) will spend, on average, US$7,500 on travel; Generation X travelers (35-64 yrs) are budgeting US$5,000, and Millennials (18-34 yrs) will be allocating a more modest US$2,400, according to the report.
In the must have list for travelling, travelers have kept Wi-Fi on the top list, the study shows.
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