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Big cities and tourist favourites are back in favour for travel this Lunar New Year as travellers head to tourist hotspots to ring in the year of the Tiger, according to booking data from digital travel platform, Agoda.
Asia-wide, the data shows metropolitans and capital cities as top destination choices, including Shanghai (#1 China), Tokyo (#1 Japan), Kuala Lumpur (#1 Malaysia), Manila (#1 Philippines), and Bangkok (#1 Thailand). While in other markets, classic resort destinations are travellers’ top picks, including Bali (#1 Indonesia), Jeju Island (#1 Korea), Taichung (#1 Taiwan), Phu Quoc Island (#1 Vietnam).
Agoda’s data continue to see trends of emerging destinations across multiple markets as travellers primarily continue to stick to domestic travel and to explore their own ‘backyard’. New to this year’s top eight most popular destination lists are Berastagi (#6 Indonesia) and Hongcheon-gun (#5 Korea) which boast their great escape to nature. Nantou with stunning mountain and lake comes in at #8 on Taiwan’s list. Coastal city Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) rounds out Vietnam’s top eight list. In Malaysia, seaside Kota Kinabalu re-joins the ranks at #7 and gateway to Malaysia, Johor Bahru at #8.
Top eight most popular destinations by market for Lunar New Year 2022
| China | Indonesia | Japan | Korea |
| Shanghai | Bali | Tokyo | Jeju Island |
| Macau | Bandung | Osaka | Seoul |
| Hong Kong | Jakarta | Fukuoka | Busan |
| Taipei | Yogyakarta | Okinawa Main island | Sokcho-si |
| Kaohsiung | Medan | Nagoya | Hongcheon-gun |
| Beijing | Berastagi | Sapporo | Gangneung-si |
| Guangzhou | Puncak | Kyoto | Incheon |
| Taichung | Batam Island | Yokohama | Pyeongchang-gun |
| Malaysia | Philippines | Taiwan | Thailand | Vietnam |
| Kuala Lumpur | Manila | Taichung | Bangkok | Phu Quoc Island |
| Penang | Boracay Island | Taipei | Chiang Mai | Dalat |
| Malacca | Cebu | Kaohsiung | Khao Yai | Nha Trang |
| Ipoh | Tagaytay | Tainan | Phuket | Vung Tau |
| Langkawi | Davao City | Hualien | Hua Hin / Cha-am | Phan Thiet |
| Port Dickson | Baguio | Yilan | Pattaya | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Kota Kinabalu | Bohol | Chiayi | Krabi | Da Nang |
| Johor Bahru | Batangas | Nantou | Chiang Rai | Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) |
Thailand
Travellers from China, Malaysia, and Vietnam maintain their preference for 4-5 star accommodation, followed by 1-3.5 star and non-hotel accommodation. Korean and Thai travellers are upgrading their stay this year to a more upscale accommodation (4-5 star). Travellers from Japan and Taiwan continue to opt for budget accommodation (1-3.5 star). While Indonesian travellers this year saw a shift from 4-5 star to 1-3.5 star.
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khao Yai, Phuket hold their spots firmly, taking the top four places respectively. Hua Hin/Cha-am (#5) and Krabi (#7) both jumped up the ranks one spot, while Pattaya (#6) and Chiang Rai (#8) went down one place each.
