Where do you like to stay when you’re on holiday? In hotels/resorts or go for private accommodation to get the ‘home away from home’ feel? If you fall in the latter group then you are in good company, as a growing number of Asians are opting for non-hotel accommodation (NHAs), also known as homestays, on their travels.
This is unveiled by agoda in its ‘Travel and Tech Study’, which looks at the motivations and booking behaviours of travellers driving the rise in NHAs. The research is based on a survey of 16,000+ respondents aged 18-64 across 15 countries.
The accommodation platform says its “over 1.5 million properties worldwide have included all sorts of homestays, providing a unique lens to the impact of NHAs over time”.
These are the NHA trends the study reveals:
Travellers opt for NHA when close to home
Touch of nature at Aquila Nova Retreat in the Danenong Ranges National Park in Melbourne, Australia
Domestic travellers are more likely to book homestays, but they also consider booking privately owned homes/apartments when travelling to neighbouring countries.
Travellers from Indonesia (79%), Singapore (71%), Philippines (82%) and Thailand (80%) will most likely consider booking homestays when travelling within Asia. Similarly, travellers from the UK (88%), US (84%) and Australia (75%) will go for a privately owned home within their home continent.
Reasons for selecting hotel alternative vary across countries
Luxury yacht MM2 located Phuket Thailand for the adventurous
- Indonesians (55%), Malaysians (54%) and Filipinos (53%) will book NHAs to accommodate families and large groups.
- Singaporeans (57%), Thais (54%) and Australians (46%) view NHAs as a less expensive option to a hotel room.
- Adventurous Chinese travellers mostly consider NHAs to get a more local travel experience (55%).
NHA types booked according to markets
Tranquillity at Sakainoma Kuma Guest House in Osaka, Japan
- B&Bs rank first for Filipino travellers, with 53% of respondents having booked one in the past year
- Private homes are among the favourites for travellers from Singapore (44%), Malaysia (40%) and Australia (38%)
- Villas and guesthouses favoured by Indonesian travellers (37%, 36% respectively) and Thai travellers (31%, 32% respectively)
Travellers can connect homestay properties through agoda Homes, a portal for home owners to list their properties to agoda users worldwide at no cost.
• All images (featured image – tree house in Nusa Penida, Bali) credit: agoda
