Travelers pampering themselves with more upscale stays to ring in the New Year

After almost a year of restricted travel, travelers are indulging in more high-end stays this New Year’s Eve. According to booking data from digital travel platform Agoda, 4 to 5-star hotels are the accommodation of choice to ring in 2021 globally, pushing 1 to 3.5-star hotels down to second place this year, as compared to New Year’s Eve 2019.

With the exception of Taiwan, Thailand and the United States (US) which favored 1 to 3.5-star hotels as their preference, travelers from the other markets are aligned with the global trend. Korean and Singaporean travelers have maintained their desire for 4 to 5-star hotels as the top choice this New Year’s Eve.

This year, travelers are also looking to get away from it all to explore more diverse destinations than in 2019. Beach destinations and coastal cities like Miami Beach (US), Langkawi (Malaysia), Quy Nhon (Vietnam), Yeosu-si (Korea), as well as places known for their natural beauty such as Cameron Highlands (Malaysia), Hua Lien (Taiwan), Laguna (Philippines) and Sapa (Vietnam) climbed the ranks to top 10 domestic destinations in respective markets for staycations this New Year’s Eve.

“While 2020 might have upended many travelers’ plans, Agoda’s data that 4 to 5-star hotels are most popular among New Year’s Eve bookings this year shows us that there’s great desire among travelers to pamper themselves and optimistically usher in the New Year in style. We are heartened that travelers are not letting the pandemic dampen their travel spirits, and are also spending the New Year exploring domestic destinations less traveled, supporting local tourism communities in those areas,” said Errol Cooke, Vice President of Partner Services at Agoda.

Thailand
Thai travelers are staying at 1 to 3.5-star hotels, followed by 4 to 5-star hotels and non-hotel accommodation, similar to their preferences in 2019. Bangkok, beach town Pattaya and Chiang Mai with ancient temples and picturesque mountains continue to dominate Thai travelers’ domestic list. Notably Kanchanaburi, Krabi and Phuket have each moved up to two spots this year.

Top 10 Domestic Destinations

	New Year’s Eve 2019	New Year’s Eve 2020
1	Bangkok	Pattaya
2	Pattaya	Bangkok
3	Chiang Mai	Chiang Mai
4	Hua Hin / Cha-am	Hua Hin / Cha-am
5	Khao Yai	Phuket
6	Chonburi	Khao Yai
7	Phuket	Kanchanaburi
8	Chiang Rai	Krabi
9	Kanchanaburi	Chonburi
10	Krabi	Chiang Rai

Website: www.theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com.au