Consumer optimism high as more than seven out of ten Malaysian travellers planning to spend more on travel in 2013
Kuala Lumpur, 12 April 2013 – TripAdvisor™, the world’s largest travel site, has announced the results of the world’s largest accommodation and traveller survey¹ – the TripBarometer by TripAdvisor. This study, conducted on behalf of TripAdvisor by independent research firm StrategyOne, a division of Edelman Berland, will be biannual and reports on top travel and hospitality industry trends according to more than 35,000 travellers and hoteliers around the world.
The results of the TripBarometer revealed insights into the booking behavior of Malaysian travellers as well as the importance of online reviews and social media when it comes to planning a trip and even during a trip.
Malaysian Travellers in Profile
According to the TripBarometer, more than seven out of ten (73%) Malaysian travellers are planning to increase their travel budget in 2013. Only 4 per cent are planning to spend less with 23 per cent spending the same as last year.
When it comes to booking of accommodation, the top 5 factors that influenced them are price, location, attractions or nearby activities, accommodation amenities and recommendations from friends and family.
| Top 5 Factors that influenced accommodation booking | Per cent of respondents (MALAYSIA) | Per cent of respondents (GLOBAL)
|
| Price | 78% | 76% |
| Location | 62% | 68% |
| Attractions or nearby activities | 59% | 35% |
| Accommodation amenities | 31% | 34% |
| Recommendations from friends or family | 28% | 22% |
When asked how many properties they would consider before making a booking, 62 per cent of Malaysian travellers said they would consider 1 to 5 properties, 31 per cent said they would consider 6 to 10 properties and 5 per cent said they would consider 11 to 15 properties.
More than half (54%) of Malaysian travellers bring their spouse or partner along on their holiday and are ranked highest globally (34%) for travelling with children.
Planning a trip has gone digital
The TripBarometer also revealed more than nine out of ten Malaysian travellers (93%) are turning to the Internet to plan their trip. The top 3 sources of information that Malaysian travellers find most useful are all online – travel operator websites, followed by web based travel agencies and travel review websites.
| Top 3 Most Useful Sources of Information | Per cent of respondents (MALAYSIA) | Per cent of respondents (GLOBAL)
|
| Travel operator websites | 24% | 16% |
| Web based travel agencies | 20% | 19% |
| Travel review websites | 16% | 38% |
Travellers are online and on social networks even during a holiday
Malaysian travellers are online and going on social networks even during a trip. They are some of the biggest users globally of social media (42%) when researching and planning their trips, with the most popular being Facebook.
| Top 3 social media platforms used to plan last trip | Per cent of respondents (MALAYSIA) | Per cent of respondents (GLOBAL)
|
| 87% | 76% | |
| Google+ | 57% | 40% |
| 22% | 21% |
During a trip, the top uses of technology for Malaysian travellers were “used a mobile app to find attractions or activities“, “accessed the Internet through a mobile phone” and “uploaded holiday photos to a social network”.
| Top 3 uses of technology during a trip | Per cent of respondents (MALAYSIA) | Per cent of respondents (GLOBAL)
|
| Used a mobile app to find attractions or activities | 51% | 33% |
| Accessed the internet via a mobile phone | 50% | 51% |
| Uploading holiday photos to a social network | 46% | 39% |
“In an ever connected world, it is clear that Malaysian travellers are turning to the Internet for all their travel needs,” said Cindy Tan, Vice President, Asia Pacific at TripAdvisor. “From researching their trips to
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