Alternative accommodation offers home comforts for Asian travellers

The majority of Asian travellers who book non-hotel accommodation do so when they’re travelling close to home, a new report has revealed.

In a study into the behaviour of Asians booking alternative accommodation, such as private homes, villas, B&Bs and guesthouses, Agoda.com found that the vast majority choose these options when travelling domestically or to neighbouring countries, rather than further afield.

For example, travellers from Indonesia (79%), Singapore (71%), Philippines (82%) and Thailand (80%) will most likely consider booking homestays within Asia. Similarly, travellers from the UK (88%), US (84%) and Australia (75%) are more likely to book a privately-owned property within their home continent.

The reasons for choosing alternative accommodation vary depending on the country; for example, Indonesians (55%), Malaysians (54%) and Filipinos (53%) do so to accommodate families and large groups, while Singaporeans (57%), Thais (54%) and Australians (46%) believe they are less expensive than a standard hotel room. Chinese travellers use non-hotel accommodation in order to discover a more local travel experience (55%).

The type of non-hotel accommodation booked also depends on country. B&Bs rank first for Filipino travellers, with 53% of those surveyed having booked one in the past year, while private homes are among the favourites for travellers from Singapore (44%), Malaysia (40%) and Australia (38%). Villas and guesthouses are well liked by travellers from Indonesia (37% and 36% respectively) and Thai (31% and 32%).

Agoda’s global inventory of more than 1.5 million properties includes a variety of non-hotel accommodation, from private homes and villas to treehouses and yachts. The survey gathered responses from 16,000+ people across 15 countries.