Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/462634
www.travelweekly-asia.com | 5 DATA BANK MasterCard survey reveals Singapore and Paris are still the dream destinations Eighty percent of South-east Asian travellers who went overseas last year plan to holiday abroad the same or more this year, according to the MasterCard Consumer Purchasing Priorities survey. In South-east Asia, Singapore residents display the most desire to travel internationally in the next 12 months, with 87% of respondents intending to travel the same or more. This is followed by Malaysia (84%) and Myanmar (80%). Singapore has emerged as a hot favourite amongst South- east Asian travellers, with survey respondents consistently listing the island republic within their top three most-desired destinations globally for 2015. Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam ranked Singapore as the top global destination for travel, favouring the neighbouring country over farther choice locations such as London, Paris and Tokyo. When asked to choose a destination in the APMEA region (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) for an all-expenses paid holiday, Singapore emerged once again as the top choice for most markets. People from Malaysia prefer to visit Dubai, while Singapore and Thailand holidaymakers want to visit Tokyo. TOP DESTINATION FOR AN ALL-EXPENSES PAID HOLIDAY The top international travel spenders from South-east Asia in 2014 came from Thailand (THB 68,388 or approximately US$2,100), followed closely by Singapore respondents (SGD 2,272 or approximately US$1,800) and Myanmar (MMK 1,802,667 or approximately US$1,750). The most travelled people hailed from Singapore, with 82% having travelled internationally in the past 12 months followed by Malaysia at 67% and Thailand at 65%. The strong travel appetite of respondents coincided with an upbeat consumer outlook. Overall consumer sentiment in the South- east Asia region stood at 77.7 index points, rising moderately by 6.4 index points compared to last year, according to the MasterCard Index of Consumer Confidence. Topping the Index once again WATCH OUT FOR MYANMAR'S GLOBETROTTERS as the most optimistic market in South-east Asia is Myanmar where consumers are even more optimistic than last year and have recorded a near-perfect score of 97.2 index points, with 100 being the maximum possible. SEA Market Global Dream Destination Most Desirable Destination in Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa Indonesia Singapore Singapore Malaysia London Dubai Myanmar Singapore Singapore Philippines Paris Singapore Singapore Paris Tokyo Thailand Tokyo Tokyo Vietnam Singapore Singapore Dream Destinations for SEA Market