Pacific Asia Travel Association says it has identified a growing trend in the UK market of travellers opting for secondary beach destinations across Asia Pacific.
This shift has been recognised by several PATA UK & Ireland tour operator members, citing reasons such as increased prices in popular destinations and availability issues.
For example, Best at Travel has seen a surge in bookings for Khao Lak compared to popular destinations like Phuket and Koh Samui in Thailand.
Sam Collins, Product Manager at Best at Travel and PATA tour operator member said: “From March to May 2024, Khao Lak has emerged as the top-selling beach destination.”
“Similarly, Lombok in Indonesia has also seen an increase in interest among UK travellers”.
CHIC Locations has also seen this trend, noting that exclusive and lesser-known destinations like Khao Lak, Krabi, Koh Lanta, and Koh Samed in Thailand are now preferred over traditional tourist hubs like Phuket and Samui.
This trend is also mirrored in Malaysia, where the island of Langkawi is outselling Penang and in Bali, where retreat locations are attracting more visitors than developed areas.
David Kevan of CHIC Locations says ‘mainstream destinations are losing their appeal as travellers seek more exclusive and glamorous experiences.’
Tourism boards are helping drive this trend, proactively promoting secondary destinations.
Director of TAT London, Sadudee Sangnil, said: “We have been implementing marketing and trade training strategies to promote secondary destinations for several years now.’
“TAT’s ‘Hub & Hook’ strategy continues to be a key part of trade activity through training and fam trips.”
