Travel might be on pause in these unprecedented times, but data from Booking.com reveals that this hasn’t stopped people across the city from dreaming about its possibilities. Delving into the millions of travel wish lists created by hopeful travellers on its platform over the last two months, with properties wish listed across over 100,000 different destinations since the start of March, the online travel agency shares the top destinations and properties on peoples’ minds as they wait for when the time is right to travel again.
While international destinations like Bali, Andalusia, London, Florida and Paris continue to inspire travel dreams for people across the world, it’s no surprise that Hong Kongers are starting to think about travelling again.
When it comes to international adventures featuring most heavily in Hong Kongers’ travel dreams, sensational cities with shopping havens, scrumptious food and exotic night markets dominate wish lists. Bangkok (Thailand) tops the list, followed by Tokyo (Japan), London (UK), Taipei (Taiwan) and Osaka (Japan), while Kyoto (Japan), Singapore and Macau also appear strongly top of mind. This suggests that Hong Kongers are highly interested in metropolitan destinations, where life is always fast paced and convenient.
Several top endorsements for Bangkok by travelers from Hong Kong are for spicy food, night markets and street food, whereas for Tokyo, Hong Kongers endorsed Japanese specialties like sushi, ramen, and the fish market; for London, however, sightseeing dominates the list – with musicals, Chinatown, and the theatre being popular endorsements.
Dreaming about a change in scenery and the opportunity to enjoy a stay experience outside of their own home, the most wish listed types of places to stay for Hong Kongers are hotels, apartments, resorts, guest houses and aparthotels. Hotels account for 55% of all properties wish listed by Hong Kongers over the last two months, noticeably higher than the global average of 40%.
Arjan Dijk, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Booking.com said: “These are unprecedented and challenging times in which safety remains the top priority. We also know that in such times, dreaming about experiencing the world again has immense power to fire our imaginations and keep spirits high. Building a wish list on Booking.com is an inspirational way for everyone to start dreaming about travel again, and we are committed to making it easy for them to turn those dreams into reality when the time is right.”
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