2020 - The Year of Staycation

The on-going pandemic has presented a lot of uncertainty, but one thing that I am certain of is that we will travel again. There is already so much pent-up demand for travel, and we see domestic travel returning first, especially with drive-to destinations before international travel. Many governments are already working on ‘travel bubbles’, raising hopes that further inter-regional travel will recommence soon. I'd like to share my top 3 observations of this on-going travel trend with you.

1)     Resorts and city breaks are both in high demand

Across the region, travelers are looking to make the most of their leisure time by exploring destinations within their own country or neighborhoods. At Marriott International we’ve seen a fast return of stays in resorts located in drive-to destinations and city getaways, while weekend business for leisure is quickly taking off.

• Nowhere is this more acute than in China, where the recovery has been a source of confidence in the resilience of travel which is expected to grow further in September.
• The beaches of Bali or the Maldives may be out of reach for now, but our 25 properties in Hainan, also known as the Hawaii of China, are outperforming last year because of domestic leisure travel demand. In July, the hotel occupancy rate of Marriott International in Sanya reached 86%.
• Demand has also been returning in other cities and resort destinations such as in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam where demand is driven by Millennials opting for weekend staycations and island escapes.
• In June, we opened The Ritz-Carlton, Nanjing – our latest property in China overseeing the beautiful Xuanwu Lake and Purple Mountain. Driven by drive-to business and leisure travel demands, The Ritz-Carlton, Nanjing already recorded 60%+ occupancy rate within its first month of opening.

2)     Trips are more spontaneous

In recent months we have seen a spike in late bookings, compared to the longer planning period of the past. With fresh outbreaks occurring in some locations, demand for more flexible booking terms continues and it isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. So, my advice is to go ahead and check out (fast!) some of the great staycation offers available at our hotels across Asia Pacific if you’re looking to escape your daily routine.

• According to one study TNMT, 43% of travelers from China, South Korea, and Japan say they will book less in advance than usual because of concerns around safety and the unpredictability of COVID-19’s impact on travel.
• Travelers want flexible policies that allow them to modify or cancel their plans. To meet their quick-changing needs, we’ve made it easier than ever to make changes and reduce physical interactions using our website and the Marriott Bonvoy app to give guests peace of mind.

3)     Where travel isn’t possible, ‘travel-lust’ is still strong

According to a study by Global Web Index, almost a quarter of people say that vacations will be their number one priority for post-outbreak purchasing – rising to a third of more affluent people.

• Now, short-haul travel products are amongst the most popular searches on Google, accounting for more than 70% of searches made for customers in Asia Pacific. 
• And according to a travel sentiment survey in July 2020, young people (age 20-39) in Asia-Pacific are the keenest to travel as soon as restrictions are lifted, with 49% saying they would travel within six months.  

It is evident that people can’t wait to hit the road again, and frankly so can’t I!

So, what’s next? Despite the unprecedented challenges, demand is returning across most of the region and occupancy is steadily improving month to month. The recovery will look different in each market, but I’m confident that this upward regional trend will continue.