Expedia study dissects the anatomy of the Singapore digital Traveller

SINGAPORE – Singapore travellers are drawing a line against remaining connected to the Internet all the time despite the nation having one of the highest rates of mobile and Internet penetration in the world. According to Expedia’s latest survey, The Future of Travel study, only four per cent of Singapore leisure travellers are interested in having on-board Wi-Fi on the plane, while the vast majority prefers to remain disconnected on-route to their destination.

Another surprising fact is that more than one in five (21 per cent) Singapore travellers have indicated that they do not use their smartphones during their travel process, both in during the planning phase or during their trips.

The global study further dissects the anatomy of the Singapore digital traveller, with some interesting results for both leisure and business travellers that buck the expected trends, including:

Leisure Traveller
Mobile Consumption: Despite being one of the countries with the highest smartphone penetration rate in the world, only 79 per cent of Singapore travellers use their smartphones when on a holiday.
More Clicks than Swipes: They are also almost twice as likely to make their holiday reservations through a personal computer (63 per cent) than with their smart phones or tablets (35 per cent).
Let’s Hear What Others Say: Singapore travellers are not only well-connected but are also well- informed. Travel reviews are essential with 86 per cent of respondents’ decisions being influenced by reviews.
Complain No More: One would think that we are a nation of complainers even when it comes to travel. On the flip side, almost two in three (64 per cent) Singapore travellers have not posted a negative review in the past year.

Business Traveller
Converting Business to Leisure: More than half (57 per cent) of the respondents said they have extended a business trip into a personal holiday in the past year.
Fill My Stomach: Business travellers also rank food high on the priority list with room service (38 per cent), high-end meals (29 per cent) and hotel room upgrades (24 per cent) making up their additional business expenditure.
“Internet travel booking has become increasingly popular, with the convenience and ease of doing research online and making purchases with the click of the mouse or the tap of the screen,” says Vikram Malhi, General Manager for South and Southeast Asia, Expedia. He adds, “As we continue catering to millions of Singapore travellers and help facilitate booking trips online with our award winning Expedia mobile app, we keep their travellers’ personal data secure, so that they can easily plan and book their travels on-the-go, without the slightest worry.”

From now till 31 January 2014, Expedia is offering 10% discount off all hotel bookings on the Expedia mobile app with the coupon code MOBILE13. Travel period is from now till 30 June 2014.

Survey Methodology
This global study was conducted online between August 20 and September 12, 2013 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia, across residents in Europe (United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway), Asia Pacific (India, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand), North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico), and Brazil. In order to qualify to take the full survey, respondents had to be over the age of 18 and employed full time, part time or self-employed. 301 respondents were surveyed from Singapore.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews