■ STUDY: FILIPINO TRAVELERS ARE COST-CONSCIOUS

According to Journey of Me Insights, an Asia Pacific traveler study spanning 14 markets, 52 percent of Filipino travelers prefer to receive updates and recommendations about their trip through e-mail, with only six percent happy to be contacted via mobile messaging services. Recommendations that help them save money was the top choice for Filipino travelers (50 percent), while time-saving tips were less popular (12 percent). “The Philippines report gives us many interesting insights--one of the observations that stood out to me was how important cost-saving is to Filipino travelers. Indeed, the peso has fallen to an 11-year low so this is not surprising,” said Andy Michaels Lim of Amadeus.

Report says Filipinos consider cost-saving activities very important

Asia today is the world’s largest travel market, yet the vast majority of its population has yet to travel beyond their borders. To move the industry toward a closer understanding of travelers in the region, Amadeus has launched “Journey of Me Insights,” an Asia Pacific traveler study.

Albert Pozo, president of Amadeus Asia Pacific, said: “Our research has showed us that the preferences, behaviors and demands of travelers vary enormously from one country to another. The industry must come to grips with this. The one-size-fits-all approach is a thing of the past.”

Amadeus studied Filipino travelers in its report called “Journey of Me Insights: What Filipino travelers want.”

The study found that 64 percent of Asia Pacific travelers interviewed are open to sharing personal data for more relevant offers and personalized experiences. Slightly more cautious, 61 percent of Filipino travelers feel the same.

Fifty-two percent of Filipino travelers prefer to receive updates and recommendations about their trip through e-mail, with only six percent happy to be contacted via mobile messaging services. Recommendations that help them save money was the top choice for Filipino travelers (50 percent), while time-saving tips were less popular (12 percent).

In another finding: Only 36 percent of Filipino travelers do most of their trip booking on mobile; 66 percent of Filipino travelers have used a sharing-economy service for trip accommodation.

Seventy-eight percent of Filipino travelers think it’s important to find service staff at the destination that speak a language they understand.

One finding that stood out to researchers was how important cost-saving is to Filipino travelers.