By Lavinia Rajaram, on May 3, 2018

Singaporeans are the Most Wi-Fi Obsessed Travellers in Asia – Brand Expedia Study

2018 Flight & Hotel Etiquette Study also found that Singapore travellers take an average of 4.6 flights per year, ranking sixth on the list of most frequent fliers in Asia

Singapore, 3 May 2018Brand Expedia today released findings from its 2018 Global Flight & Hotel Etiquette Study, an annual survey that looks at the flight and hotel etiquette habits of more than 18,000 adults around the world. Featuring insights from over 600 adult travellers in Singapore, the study found that four in five Singaporeans (80 percent) chose Wi-Fi as a “very important” hotel amenity, crowning Singaporeans as the most Wi-Fi obsessed travellers in Asia, and the third most Wi-Fi obsessed globally behind Brazilians and the Americans. In Asia, Malaysian travellers came in a close second at 76 percent and Hong Kong travellers in third place with 74 percent saying the same.

The 2018 Global Flight & Hotel Etiquette Study also revealed that Singaporean travellers take an average of 4.6 flights during the past year, ranking as the sixth most frequent fliers in Asia. While Singaporean travellers take fewer flights as compared to Thailand (10.1 average flights per year) and Japan (9.1 average flights per year), they tend to take more hotel stays, staying an average of 13.8 nights in hotels over the past year.

Collating the key findings from the study, here’s a look at the 10 defining habits of Singapore travellers:

FLIGHT ETIQUETTE: FIVE DEFINING HABITS OF SINGAPOREAN TRAVELLERS

  1. Singaporeans are very comfortable on flights, with 42 percent stating that they like to take off their shoes but leave their socks on during flights, just behind the Japanese at 44 percent.
  2. Sleeping and watching TV or movies are among Singaporeans’ favourite activities on flights, with 83 percent of Singaporeans choosing to sleep or watch TV ahead of listening to music (51 percent), reading (48 percent) and talking (44 percent).
  3. In terms of behaviours that annoy Singaporean travellers the most on flights, 61 percent of Singaporean find rear-seat kickers the most annoying, the highest in Asia ahead of Australian and South Korean travellers with 58 percent saying the same.
  4. In terms of inflight seat preferences, 49 percent of Singaporeans said that they prefer window seats over aisle or middle seats.
  5. However, a good proportion – 47 percent – said that they prefer to sit along the aisle in order to make a quick escape to the bathroom, failing which, 58 percent would wake up their neighbour to ask them to move and make way for them to head towards the washroom. Only one in four Singapore travellers (25 percent) said that they will patiently wait in their seat until their neighbour wakes up, before making a trip to the bathroom.

HOTEL ETIQUETTE: FIVE DEFINING HABITS OF SINGAPOREAN TRAVELLERS

  1. For Singaporean travellers, Wi-Fi tops the list as the most important reason for booking a hotel, with 80 percent of respondents selecting it as a “very important” factor. This figure is the highest in Asia, followed by travellers from Malaysia and Hong Kong, with 76 percent and 74 percent of travellers saying the same.
  2. Singaporeans also tend to be price-sensitive when it comes to choosing a hotel, with 70 percent agreeing that price is a “very important” factor when booking a hotel. However when compared to the rest of Asia, this price sensivity is even more pronounced among Malaysian travellers, with 74 percent considering price as a “very important” factor when booking a hotel.
  3. Not surprisingly, Singaporeans tend to prefer staying in big chain hotels (49 percent), followed by boutique hotels (24 percent) and vacation/hotel rentals (8 percent). However, this preference is even more pronounced among their counterparts in Japan, where 69 percent of travellers prefer to stay in hotels.
  4. Delving deeper into what Singaporeans find most annoying during their hotel stays, the study revealed that their biggest pet peeves include encountering bed bugs (71 percent), cigarette smoke or foul smell (56 percent) and finding a used condom (46 percent).
  5. At the same time, Singaporeans value their peace and quiet the most, with close to half agreeing that the most annoying guests to meet in a hotel are the Hallway Hellraisers – guests who make loads of noise along the hallways, and In-Room Revellers – guests who make loud noises next door or nearby.

 

MORE SAVINGS FOR SINGAPOREAN TRAVELLERS ON FLIGHT AND HOTEL PACKAGES

Despite being frequent fliers, Singaporeans seem to be less aware of benefits that come with booking flight + hotel packages, especially when compared to their counterparts in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and India. Only 24 percent of Singaporean travellers book their flights and hotels together, contrasting against the 46 percent of travellers who do so in Taiwan, 39 percent who do so in Japan and the 36 percent who do so in Thailand and India respectively.

“Singaporeans are no doubt frequent travellers who love to stay connected to their friends and families back home. It thus comes at no surprise that Wi-Fi emerged as the most important hotel amenity among Singaporean travellers, ahead of even price and location,” said Lavinia Rajaram, Regional Head of Communications for Brand Expedia in Asia.

Despite being a price-sensitive group of travellers, it was surprising to see that only 24 percent of Singaporean travellers book their flights and hotels together as a package. “Package bookings remain the easiest way for travellers to save on travel, both domestically and internationally. By booking their flights and hotels together, Singaporeans travellers can stand to enjoy up to 20 percent off their travel costs. For those who are still looking to book your travel, packages to nearby destinations, for under $358 (per person)[1] are available at Expedia, making the coming summer season a great time for travel,” said Rajaram.

[1] Terms and conditions apply. Prices are per person, based on the twin share on the lowest price hotel room type and lowest airfare, inclusive of hotel taxes. Other fees may apply.

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 About the 2018 Global Flight & Etiquette Study

The 2018 Global Flight & Etiquette Study was conducted on behalf of Expedia Group by Northstar Research Partners, a global strategic research firm, from 22 February to 19 March 2018. Conducted with over 18,000 respondents across 23 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific using an amalgamated group of best-in-class panels, the survey featured over 6,000 respondents from Asia-Pacific markets including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. In Singapore, about 600 working adults were included in the study.

 About Expedia.com.sg

Expedia.com.sg offers travellers a wide selection of hotels, activities and travel services at attractive rates. With hundreds of thousands hotel partners worldwide and comprehensive choices of flight inventory made readily available on Expedia.com.sg, travellers can book everything they need for a holiday – rooms to meet every budget, activities of every kind and travel services to complement.

© 2018 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

 

For more information, please contact:

Lavinia Rajaram

Brand Expedia in Asia

(65) 8428 0079

lrajaram@expedia.com