Asian millennial travelers prefer living like locals – study

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MANILA – A study shows that Asian millennials are now more motivated to leave the crowds in popular cities to get out and discover the food culture and lifestyles of local people.

This is indicated in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) consumer research report ‘Stepping Out of the Crowd: Where the Next Generation of Young Asian Travelers is Heading, and How to Win a Place on Their Travel Itinerary.’

The report was written by Peter Jordan, a leading specialist in millennial travel trends and author of PATA’s first youth travel report ‘The Rise of the Young Asian Traveler.’

It is supported by global payment technology corporation Visa Inc. Its contents could benefit government and business in the Asia Pacific region.

The report further explains how secondary destinations and attractions can benefit from the rise in outbound travel from Asian source markets.

Millennials are typically aged 16 to 35 and have been known to be tech-savvy and more independent than previous generations and can be a receptive audience for destinations looking to improve their tourist dispersal.

A study for this report asked over 1,000 millennials from 13 outbound markets around Asia about their attitude towards discovering cities when travelling abroad, and what experiences might tempt them out of the city to try something new.

The highlighted results showed that more than a third of Asian millennial travelers would be attracted to leave a big city and have the opportunity to see beautiful landscapes, try unique foods, visit cultural sites and experience the lifestyle of local people.

It also noted that 43 percent of respondents had to stay in their city destination because they didn’t have enough time to visit elsewhere. The largest share of those who left took a two to three night break away from the city

The report said that 85 percent of respondents said they love to visit a food market when in a foreign city, and 72 percent said they liked to visit a supermarket

Meanwhile, 85 percent of respondents said they like to ‘live like a local’ and discover cool activities that local youth do when on a city visit.

Over 80 percent of young Asian travelers want to discover local traditions, shop in small stores, visit a local food market or attend an event when visiting a foreign city for the first time

PATA CEO Mario Hardy pointed out that one of the smartest ways in which destinations can respond to the challenges of overcrowding is by encouraging tourists to disperse over a wider area and give them reasons to visit outside of peak season.

“Fortunately, Asia’s highly-connected, globally-aware youth are demonstrating their interest and ability to seek authentic experiences that take them away from the crowds,” Hardy said.

“We are delighted to present consumer research in this report that reflects this,” he added.

Visa-Asia Pacific Group Executive Chris Clark for his part meanwhile said that Visa takes close interest in travel trends of Asia’s youngest consumers given that the company connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories.

“We are proud to have supported this unique research and trust that it will help government and business across the region to develop rewarding travel experiences for young travelers,” Clark said.