An overseas travel survey conducted in the last quarter of 2022 to understand the differences in travel patterns between Europe, North America, and the APAC region.

The survey was conducted within its panel networks with 3,000 respondents across six countries, America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia. GMO Research had previously conducted the same survey¹ in October 2022 using the ASIA Cloud Panel² targeted at 3,328 monitors in 10 Asian countries and regions.

Europe and the US remain popular destinations among respondents.

The top three international countries that respondents from North America would most like to visit in the future were: Italy (10.5%), the United Kingdom (9%) and Australia and Japan (both tied at 6.8%).³

The US is a popular destination for Europeans and respondents in the APAC region. The Europeans polled also indicated their preference to travel to other countries within their region, mainly Spain (9.3%) and Italy (7.7%). This is similar to those surveyed in the APAC region, indicating their preference for regional travel, visiting Japan (20.3%) and South Korea (6.6%). (Chart 1 below)

When looking at the reasons for each of the countries selecting the US as their chosen country to visit, the most common reasons included ‘many tourist attractions (25.4%)’, ‘unique cultural experiences (13.5%)’ and ‘its own natural landscape (9.9%).’

In comparison, respondents would like to visit Italy as it offered ‘traditional food/drinks (29%)’, ‘unique cultural experiences (24.2%)’, and ‘historic buildings/sites (12.6%)’. A significant number of respondents chose Spain as their destination in the future for its ‘beach resorts’ (36.1%). (Chart 2 below)

Frequency of travel

In the coming year, the majority of respondents in North America (63.1%), Europe (69.4%) and APAC (56.9%) plan to travel overseas at least once. Specifically, 30–40% of respondents in the U.K., Germany, France and Canada plan to travel abroad twice or more, indicating a high willingness to travel (Chart 3 below).

However, in comparison, most respondents in Japan (88.6%) and Indonesia (73.2%) have yet to make plans to travel overseas, suggesting that many in Asia remain cautious about international travel.

Information sources on overseas travel

When gathering information on overseas travel, ‘web search’ and ‘word of mouth from friends/acquaintances’ emerged as the most common sources across all countries. ‘Travel blogs’ and ‘online travel agencies’ were also frequently used.

However, the use of ‘SNS’ (social media) as a source of information varies, with a significant number of respondents in Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany and France citing it as a source, compared to the relatively low percentage of respondents in North America.

Notes:

1. Read more about the International Travel Survey in Asia here.
2. ASIA Cloud Panel is a consumer panel that is specialised for the Asian regions in the GMO Research Cloud Panel Internet research services.
3. Travel within North America (US/Canada) is excluded.
4. Data as of January 2023.