Travel remains a priority for APAC travellers seeking meaningful escapes and new experiences
Singapore – Criteo, the commerce media company, unveiled key insights from its Spring 2025 Travel Pulse report, highlighting emerging travel trends, booking patterns, and evolving traveller sentiment in Asia Pacific. The report draws from over 100 travel partners in APAC, including around 20 from Southeast Asian market, offering a timely snapshot of travel patterns in Q1 2025 and valuable context for brands gearing up for the summer holiday season.
In the first quarter of 2025, travel demand in APAC remained resilient, with hotel bookings up 10% and air bookings rising 7% – outperforming the Americas and EMEA, which saw declines across most categories. Between July and October 2024, APAC’s travel bookings also exceeded retail sales by over 12 index points, underscoring sustained interest in travel beyond peak periods. Zooming into Southeast Asia, the trend was most pronounced during June and July 2024, with travel bookings surpassing retail sales by more than 6 index points. This mid-year surge in bookings suggests travellers are planning further ahead for year-end trips, searching for an average of 52 days in advance for multi-day stays. This growing momentum presents an opportunity for marketers to activate seasonal campaigns earlier in the year to engage high-intent travellers at the planning stage.
Rising costs are influencing how people travel, with 45% of global travellers reporting that higher expenses are impacting their plans. However, travel remains a priority – 50% still view it as an essential part of their lifestyle. This sentiment is strong in APAC, where a deep passion for travel endures despite increasing costs, reinforcing its role as a valuable break from routine and a source for new experiences, and a change of environment.
The report also uncovers evolving traveller interests and purchase behaviours. Notably, 60% of APAC travellers prioritise food-related attractions, presenting an opportunity for marketers to spotlight local cuisine, promote culinary tours, and align with food-centric experiences. Affluent travellers from this region emerged as leading consumers in the Health & Beauty category across multiple markets and are twice as likely to purchase luxury items compared to the average traveller. Similarly, affluent travelers from Southeast Asia are 32% more likely to buy makeup and 27% more likely to invest in skincare products.
Another key trend is the rising adoption of AI tools among APAC travellers for itinerary planning and travel inspiration, with full trip planning and flight bookings witnessing an increase year-on-year in Q1 2025. This shift signals an opportunity for travel marketers to ensure their content is optimised for AI discovery and that product data is structured to appear in AI-generated recommendations.
“Travel planning today is shaped by fast-changing trends, shifting consumer priorities amid macroeconomic changes, and the growing role of AI in decision-making,” said Taranjeet Singh, Managing Director, Venture Markets, APAC at Criteo. “The Spring 2025 Travel Pulse Report sheds light on how these dynamics are influencing traveler behaviour — helping travel marketers personalise experiences and reach the right audience, with the right message, at the moment it matters most.”
As travellers continue to seek richer, more personalised experiences, Criteo helps brands stay ahead by combining real-time insights, commerce data, and AI-powered targeting — turning inspiration into bookings, purchases and driving performance where it counts.
Methodology
Criteo’s research combines data from a wide range of sources to offer clear insights into the travel industry. This includes Criteo’s data gathered from hundreds of travel agencies, airlines, hotel groups, and other key players, along with feedback from over 14,000 consumers. Additionally, we also gathered inputs received from over 7,500 shoppers who responded to the Criteo Shopper Survey. To keep the data accurate and relevant, the analysis focuses on product categories offered by at least five different retailers. Criteo also uses all client activity data, not just those linked to its campaigns, to capture broader consumer trends and behaviours.
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