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In the fast-paced Asian cities of Singapore and Hong Kong, travellers are using travel comparison sites in an effort to save time when planning their trips, a new report has found.
In a joint survey, Kayak, Priceline’s travel search site, and GoBear, which compares insurance and banking products, found that 42% respondents in these two Asian cities went to comparison sites as their first step of travel planning, mainly for reasons of speed and convenience.
Price transparency was also as a key factor in the decision to use travel search sites, and price was identified by 71% of respondents as the most important consideration when choosing an airline.
The study also found that, on average, travellers in Singapore and Hong Kong compare four websites or companies before they purchase travel products. A further 18% of the respondents said they compare six sites or more, of which 2% compare more than 11 sites before they make a booking.
“The results from the survey reinforce the importance of price for travellers, and we are glad to see that consumers in the region are savvy on using travel search and comparison sites for their planning,” said Imbert Fung, Kayak’s director for Southeast Asia & India.
“Nonetheless, we are surprised that 2% of the respondents search over 11 sites before making a decision. At Kayak, we search hundreds of travel sites at once for our users. We believe our one-stop service provides a convenient platform for the time-pressed and price-conscious consumers to easily plan their itinerary.”
More than half (51%) of all respondents identified safety and security as their top consideration when planning a trip, although Singaporeans were more concerned about this than travellers from Hong Kong. Flight delays were cited by both nationalities as the most frustrating aspect of travel. Hong Kong-based travellers were also more easily upset by loss of baggage and theft, while Singaporeans chose “too many tourists” as a major grievance.
Given these concerns, the majority of the respondents (54%) across all ages and both nationalities said they are willing to spend around 5% of their total travel budget on insurance.
The survey gathered responses from more than 1,000 people aged from 18 to over 45 across Singapore and Hong Kong.
