BKNG) boosted as leisure travel surges

“The north is still very closed. China still has its borders closed 100%, Japan is probably 90% closed, and so is Taiwan. We are increasingly seeing inequalities: Asia-Pacific lags behind the United States and Europe in terms of recovery.”

Booking.com’s recent Travel Confidence Index surveyed 11,000 travelers from 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to find out how enthusiastic they are about traveling abroad and welcoming inbound visitors.

India ranked first in the confidence index. Many of India’s avid travelers have come to Australia, making it currently her second largest destination of arrivals to Australia after New Zealand. before the pandemic India ranked 7th.

Japan seemed content with the lockdown, ranking last in the Travel Confidence Index, while Australia ranked fifth.

Holsworth said alternative accommodations such as “homestays and treehouses” have become an important market for Booking.com, which has traditionally focused on hotels.

“People are looking for something unique and different. We have approximately 29 million listings worldwide, of which more than 6 million are alternatives to our core traditional hotel properties.”

Cost and flexibility were the main concerns for pandemic-weary travelers, Holsworth said.

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“Flexibility is key. People want clarity and refund policies, they want to make sure their money is safe.”

About 40% of Australians expect to travel internationally within the next six months, despite a continued preference for domestic travel. Bali is 5 out of the top 10 international destinations for Australian travelers on Booking.com.

“You can see Singapore, London, Paris and Italy beyond that,” says Holdsworth.

The site’s parent company, Booking Holdings, posted a net profit of $857 million for the quarter ended June 30, up 99% from the same period last year. Total travel bookings in the second quarter he reached US$34.5 billion, beating Wall Street analysts’ expectations of his US$32.96 billion.

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