Seven out of 10 Filipinos are still keen on pushing through with their planned air travel in the next nine months despite the emergence of new variants of the new coronavirus disease 2019, according to a survey commissioned by AirAsia Philippines with big-data analytics firm Tangere.
The survey showed Filipinos are ready to stroll out their luggage and be back on the road this year — albeit with heightened caution.
As 60 percent of total respondents of the AirAsia survey intend to travel domestically, among the top preferred destinations are Palawan at 77 percent, Boracay at 69 percent, Cebu at 58 percent, Siargao at 57 percent and Bohol, 52 percent.
Davao also ranked high among Visayan travelers, getting the thumbs up of 52 percent of pollees from the region.
The survey also said five out of 10 Filipinos are ready to travel abroad, with Seoul, South Korea at the top of the list at 78 percent, followed by Singapore, 73 percent and Osaka, Japan at 71 percent, once the international border restrictions relax this 2022,
The survey, conducted in December of 2021, validated AirAsia Philippines’ forecast on the growing optimism and enthusiasm of Filipinos towards travel and their increasing confidence in engaging with air transport.
“We are seeing that Filipinos are now much more confident to travel as we as a nation gain a better understanding of the pandemic and develop a more fitting culture of safety and vigilance. At AirAsia, we are observing an uptrend in long-term bookings which signifies a more positive outlook on travel plans this year,” said Ricky Isla, AirAsia Philippines chief executive officer.
“But we are not letting our guards down. We will be consistent in prioritizing the safety and well-being of our guests as they fly to their intended destinations,” Isla added.
The survey results indicated that Filipinos will be traveling in smaller groups in 2022, preferring to travel with families (69 percent), partners (40 percent) and close friends (24 percent) over work colleagues, solo trips and group tours.
This also reflects the yearning of some Filipinos to reconnect with their loved ones from whom they were isolated in the past couple of years.
The survey showed that 53 percent of respondents cited the need to be with families and friends as the main reason for deciding to push through with their travel, while 52 percent noted the need for a vacation, and confidence in the local governments’ control of the coronavirus disease closely follow at 49 percent.
The total travel expense also strongly influences the plans of Filipino tourists this year. Only 13 percent of the respondents are willing to spend P30,001 to P40,000 in total for their travel, as 15 and 38 percent of them limit their budget to P15,000 to P20,000, and sub-P14,999, respectively.
Isla shared the optimism of all air carriers on the growth of the industry this year.
“We at AirAsia are ready to welcome a bigger traveling populace this year. Our intensified multi-layered safety plan is in place as we maintain our airline’s DNA of reduced cost structure, better product offerings, and lower fees in support of domestic tourism recovery.
We may have to deal with a constantly changing reality brought on by emerging variants and new protocols. But we are confident that we are ready to meet the demand for air transport,” he said.
AirAsia Philippines recently reported an 11 percent increase in seat sales on a week-on-week basis in the first week of January. The top five destinations which contributed to the increased seat sale were Tacloban, Cebu, Caticlan, Panglao and Davao.
To entice more guests to book their future travels, AirAsia Philippines is offering a P22 one-way base fare sale for bookings made until January 16.
Guests en route to AirAsia Philippines destinations such as Puerto Princesa, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Bacolod and the reactivated Clark to Caticlan (Boracay) and Cebu until September 30, 2022, can avail of the P22 one-way base fare promo.
