New YouGov research reveals that the pandemic has fuelled the appetite for travel across the globe. More than a third of respondents state that travel has become more important to them since the pandemic (35%) compared to only a quarter who disagree with the statement (27%).
In Singapore, two in five adults agree with this statement (41%), with more than half (54%) of affluent consumers* saying this.
YouGov’s Global Travel & Tourism Whitepaper 2023 covering 18 international markets, gets under the skin of high-end travel, to understand what luxury travel looks like post-pandemic. It focuses on the attitudes and behaviours of affluent consumers, particularly the affluent under 35s – the audience that will shape the luxury travel industry of the future.
Looking specifically among the affluent travellers in Singapore, we see that more than a quarter (28%) of them intend to take longer vacations in the next 12 months compared to a fifth (20%) in the last 12 months. Taking longer trips jumps up to be their top future travel activity. Spending more on vacations continues to be important (at 24%), along with traveling with a wider group of family and friends (21%).
Other activities they intend to do more of in the future include booking more trips (16%), ticking a location off their bucket list (17%), and using travel experts (10%). Whilst only one in ten (10%) affluent Singaporeans intend to use a travel expert in the next 12 months, this is double the amount from the previous year.
Additionally, YouGov research reveals the priorities of global affluent travellers for their next travel destinations. Safety is the primary travel priority among global affluent travellers (at 37%), followed by a desire to experience diverse cultures (36%) and great local attractions and amenities (33%).
Among the affluents in Singapore, most of the parameters rank higher, with the desire to feel safe and secure in their next travel destination ranking first (at 50%).
Singapore affluents score particularly highly for great local attractions (46%), a once-in-a-lifetime experience (32%), and availability of a wide range of activities (30%), compared to the global affluents.
Having the best culinary experience and enjoying quality luxury accommodations is prioritized equally by global and Singapore affluents, emphasizing the value of quality and top end lodging brands among an upscale audience.
Great entertainment is a lower priority for global affluents, but it achieves higher importance among Singapore affluents (22%).
Visiting remote destinations, having personalized experiences, and doing things few others can do resonate with affluent consumers and luxury travelers who will be looking for brands, experiences, and travel companies that understand their individual needs and unique requirements.
To understand their behaviour in detail, download the full report here.
*Affluent consumers defined as Higher income: Higher than 200% of the median (based on household income)
Methodology
The insights in this report are drawn from a recent global YouGov Custom survey to understand what luxury travel looks like post pandemic, explore luxury travel experiences, what affluent consumers are seeking and their future travel aspirations. Covering 18 global markets of more than 19,000 respondents. Our survey results were further bolstered by connecting respondent level data to YouGov’s proprietary syndicated data solution, Global Travel Profiles, allowing us to merge our respondents and their answers to the 100,000s consumer attributes that we collect on an ongoing basis for audience segmentation and profiling.
Our survey was fielded the week of 9th to 23rd November 2022. Data for Singapore is based on a nationally representative sample (of 18+) of 1052 respondents. The YouGov panel provides a naturally accurate and representative view of the population. Data is adjusted with mild weighting using interlocking demographic characteristics.
