ASIAN TRAVEL POLL

'Experience' is the new luxury: it reshaped the 2024 rankings

Emotional takeaways were at the core of votes for favourite hotels, airlines, airports and destinations in the Smart Travel Asia 2024 Best in Travel Poll. See our growing big-grin WINNERS' ALBUM on Facebook.

JUMP TO Best Airlines | Best Business Class | Best Cabin Service | Best Budget Airlines | Best Luxury Hotels | Best Holiday Destinations | Best Cities for Meetings | Best Airports | Best Business, Meetings Hotels | Best New Hotels | Best Spa Hotels | Best Sustainable Hotels | Best Boutique, Lifestyle Hotels | Best Family Hotels | Best Wedding Hotels | Best Hotel Service

From left, Editor Vijay Verghese with Fairmont Makati Hotel Manager Aubrey Ada (No.1 for SERVICE); With Crystal Seah and GM Ruby Garcia (in stripes) at the COMO Metropolitan Singapore's video wall; (centre right) with Lanson Group CEO Michael Hobson at the Lanson Place Causeway Bay; a pillar view with GM Adrian Rudin at the new-look Dusit Thani Manila and (far right) a young guest with the No.1 FAMILY Hotel Award for the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Penang. Winners' Album on Facebook.

AFTER the bucket-list and ‘revenge travel’ jaunts post lockdown, people are once again casting an eye around to spot new underrated gems and deals. While hotel votes tend to follow destination priorities there are several breakout names not on the usual lists and we had to scramble to research and verify some of these.

Our international audience, which includes a great many who migrated from our former print magazines, is well travelled, knowledgeable, and curious. Having a base that tends to visit direct through bookmarks, magazine and social media referrals, as well as via a wide range of search platforms including Baidu, Bing, Duck Duck Go, Yandex, and Naver, offers us a continuity of feedback that is invaluable for surveys of this kind.

{brands need to cope with the short attention span of Gen Zs, the wellness needs of Millennials, and the exhausting information requirements of Baby Boomers

What travellers wanted in 2024 can be distilled into one word — experience. Experience is the new luxury that goes beyond the marble and price tag.

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From left, Editor Vijay Verghese with Lyba Godio and Joy Ann Denoga for Amorita (Bohol) and The Funny Lion; with long-serving JW BKK GM Peter Caprez; (centre) a slice of blue from Soneva Jani Maldives; (centre right) Vijay Verghese with Pinida Pettangul of Centara Group; and (far right) Patrick Both GM Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok with his award. Winners' Album on Facebook.

We see frequent travellers seeking an authenticity of service that goes beyond a mumbled, “Care for coffee?” As brands evolve, for them it is about dealing with both the short attention span of tech-wired Gen Zs, the sustainability and wellness demands of Millennials, and the exhausting information requirements of Baby Boomers. Our audience comprises all these categories with an even mix of males and females.

Younger women travellers, especially Gen Zs and Millennials (as gleaned from emailed queries and conversations) appeared the most adventurous in their choices while seasoned Gen X travellers and male Baby Boomers (over 65) opted for tried-and-tested classics with a solid brick-and-mortar feel.

In the end, these ratings are about how an experience made the traveller “feel”. It is all about the emotional takeaways. Hotels and airlines that performed well had a high feel-good factor, much of this based on personal interactions.

As surveyed on our free, no-nominations, open-to-all, 2024 Best In Travel Poll (running July, August and September), our readers on average took 16 air trips (up by two) in the past year (with 18% taking 31-40 air trips and 5% over 50 trips). They earned an average US$172,000 per annum (household income; down from $178,000 in 2023) and over 60% visited direct via bookmarks, referrals, or through our monthly e-newsletters.

From left, Editor Vijay Verghese with the Grand Hyatt HK team and GM Mark Holmes at far right; with Artyzen Singapore GM Jeff Crowe; .Presenting to Jaclyn Tan and Nigel Boey of the green Parkroyal COLLECTION Marina Bay Singapore; with the cheerful Sharon Kaserer at Indigo Bangkok; and (far right) returning Regent HK's Michel Chertouh. Winners' Album on Facebook.

Among key interests, experiential items are well ahead — food and nightlife (72%); culture, heritage and history (66%); shopping (61%); adventure and nature (58%); spas (52%). Family travel remains strong with child-friendly resorts (48%) doing well followed by business and meetings hotels (32%; down from 40% in 2023). Completing the to-do list are resort weddings (30%); golf (18%); cruises and diving (16%); and casinos (8%, often as an add-on with other kinds of vacations).

Planned purchases by this audience include camera gear and phones (78%); luxury fashion (56%); cars (52%); city residences or holiday villas (48%); duty-free alcohol (38%); and medical tourism (22%).

Smart Travel Asia launched in February 2003 as the region’s first fully online publication and our first reader poll (starting with airlines) ran in 2004. Here’s how airlines stacked up in 2005, a year when Cathay Pacific swept most poll categories (SIA topped first class) and Aeroflot rated the ‘worst airline’ (it is of course a far better carrier today).

As in past years, several ranks are shared as the voter margins are too narrow to split.

Top 10 Airlines WORLDWIDE 2024 Rank 1 .Qatar Airways 2. Emirates 3. Singapore Airlines 4. Cathay Pacific Airways 5. All Nippon Airways 6. Japan Airlines 7. Swiss International Air Lines 8. Garuda Indonesia   . Air France 9. Thai Airways International 10. Finnair  .  .EVA Air Top 10 Airlines, Cabin Service WORLDWIDE 2024 Rank 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Emirates 3. Qatar Airways 4. All Nippon Airways 5. Cathay Pacific Airways     Garuda Indonesia 6. Japan Airlines 7. Thai Airways International 8. Vistara 9. Bangkok Airways 10. Vietnam Airlines       SriLankan Airlines Top 10 Holiday Destinations ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Bangkok 2. Tokyo 3. Bali 4. Phuket     Maldives 5. Taipei     Seoul 6. Macau     Singapore     Da Nang / Hoi An 7. Goa     Siem Reap / Angkor    Hong Kong 8. Hanoi     Bhutan     Palawan 9. Kochi     Luang Prabang     Sanya 10. Mongolia       Samarkand, Uzbekistan       Kathmandu Top 10 Luxury Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Centara Reserve Samui 2. Amankila Bali 3. Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur     Amanpuri, Phuket 4. Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok 5. Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali 6. Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An,       Vietnam    Azerai La Residence, Hue 7. Rosewood Hong Kong     Andaz Bali 8. Palace Hotel Tokyo     Bawah Reserve, Anambas, Indonesia     Anantara Golden Triangle 9. Rosewood Luang Prabang     Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi     MGM Cotai, Macau     Alma Cam Ranh 10. The Imperial New Delhi       The Chedi Muscat       Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton         Reserve       Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seoul Top 10 Business/ Meetings Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok 2. Rosewood Beijing     The Peninsula Shanghai 3. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 4. The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai     The Shilla Seoul 5. Grand Hyatt Hong Kong     InterContinental Bangkok 6. Regent Taipei     The Oberoi New Delhi 7. Bulgari Hotel Shanghai     The Fullerton Hotel Singapore     The St Regis Bangkok 8. Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok     Shangri-La Hotel Singapore     The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali 9. The Okura Prestige Bangkok     Fairmont Makati, Manila     Four Seasons Hotel Singapore 10. Raffles Jakarta       Grand Hyatt Seoul       Pan Pacific Singapore Top 10 Spa Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Banyan Tree Samui 2. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island     Banyan Tree Phuket 3. Bulgari Resort Bali     Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan 4. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay     The Peninsula Bangkok 5. The Royal Pita Maha Bali     Shangri-La Boracay 6. Six Senses Samui     TIA Wellness Resort Da Nang 7. Ananda in the Himalayas     Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok 8. Kamalaya Koh Samui     The Datai Langkawi     The Sukhothai Bangkok 9. The PuLi Hotel and Spa, Shanghai     The Farm at San Benito 10. Hotel Tugu Bali       Conrad Bangkok Top 10 Family Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa,       Penang 2. Grand Hyatt Bali 3. Soneva Jani, Maldives 4. Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali 5. Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket     Santiburi Koh Samui 6. The Slate, Phuket     Alma, Cam Ranh, Vietnam 7. InterContinental Bali Resort     Conrad Bali 8. W Singapore Sentosa Cove     Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau     Kimpton Kitalay Samui 9. Taj Kumarakom Resort & Spa, Kerala     Meliá Koh Samui 10. Cinnamon Wild Yala, Sri Lanka       Hilton Sanya Yalong Bay Resort & Spa Top 10 New Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat 2. The Tokyo EDITON, Toranomon 3. InterContinental Khao Yai Resort 4. COMO Metropolitan Singapore     Regent Hong Kong 5. The Singapore EDITION 6. Alma, Cam Ranh, Vietnam     Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto 7. Ahu Bay Sri Lanka     Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park, Tokyo 8. Atlantis The Royal, Dubai     Artyzen Singapore     Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui 9. The Salil Hotel Riverside, Bangkok     The Funny Lion El Nido 10. Dusit Thani Bangkok       Conrad Singapore Orchard       Andaz Macau

Top 10 Airlines, Business Class WORLDWIDE 2024 Rank 1. Qatar Airways 2. All Nippon Airways 3. Singapore Airlines 4. Emirates 5. Cathay Pacific Airways 6. Thai Airways International 7. Turkish Airlines 8. Qantas 9. Air France 10. Vietnam Airlines Top 10 Budget Airlines ASIA 2024 Rank 1. AirAsia 2. IndiGo 3. Scoot 4. Jetstar Asia 5. Cebu Pacific 6. Peach 7. ZIPAIR 8. Vietjet Air 9. HK Express 10. Lion Air Top 10 Airports WORLDWIDE 2024 Rank 1. Singapore Changi Airport 2.Hamad International Airport, Doha 3. Haneda Airport, Tokyo 4. Incheon International Airport, Seoul 5. Hong Kong International Airport 6. Munich Airport 7. Zurich Airport 8. Istanbul Airport 9. Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok 10. Samui International Airport Top 10 Cities for Meetings ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Singapore 2. Bangkok 3. Taipei     Seoul 4. Bali 5. Sydney 6. Phuket 7. Ho Chi Minh City     Kuala Lumpur 8. Tokyo     Hong Kong 9. Manila     Langkawi     Da Nang 10. Pattaya       Macau       Dubai Top 10 Boutique/ Lifestyle Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Brunton Boatyard at Fort Kochi 2. Aleenta Phuket — Phang Nga Resort & Spa 3. Anopura Jaipur     Capella Hanoi 4. Trunk Hotel, Shibuya, Tokyo     Hotel Indigo Bangkok     Amorita Resort, Bohol 5. Artyzen Singapore     Lanson Place Causeway Bay, Hong Kong     Amankora Gangtey Lodge 6. COMO Uma Punakha Bhutan     Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana, Ubud, Bali     Capella Ubud, Bali 7. Hotel Proverbs, Taipei     SALA Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort 8. The Funny Lion Coron     Keemala, Phuket 9. Diaoyutai Boutique Hotel Chengdu 10. The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg       Ahu Bay, Sri Lanka       The Legend Chiang Rai Boutique River Resort         & Spa Top 10 Sustainable Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Bawah Reserve, Anambas, Indonesia 2. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam 3. Kudadoo Maldives     Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape 4. Soneva Fushi Maldives     Banyan Tree Phuket 5. PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay,       Singapore     The Datai Langkawi 6. Alma Cam Ranh     Amankora Thimphu Lodge 7. Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore     SALA Samui Chaweng Beach 8. The Royal Pita Maha, Bali     Fusion Resort Cam Ranh 9. The Singapore EDITION     The Funny Lion El Nido 10. Ladakh Sarai       Barefoot at Havelock, Andaman Islands      Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort Top 10 Wedding Hotels ASIA 2024 Rank 1. The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur 2. Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya       River 3. Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin 4. Amanpuri, Phuket     Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali 5. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort 6. Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok     Capella Bangkok     The Apurva Kempinski Bali 7. The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel,       Bangkok     Ayana Resort & Spa, Bali 8. Samode Palace, Jaipur     Kamandalu Ubud, Bali 9. Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang     JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa     Grand Hyatt Bali 10. Hotel Majestic, Kuala Lumpur       Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort       The Siam, Bangkok Top 10 Hotels for Service ASIA 2024 Rank 1. Fairmont Makati 2. Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok     Rosewood Hong Kong 3. The Oberoi New Delhi 4. The Upper House Hong Kong     Mandarin Oriental Tokyo 5. The St Regis Bangkok     Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong 6. The Murray Hong Kong     The Imperial New Delhi 7. Four Seasons Hotel Singapore     JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok 8. The Peninsula Manila     Raffles Jakarta 9. Park Hyatt Kyoto     The Langham, Sydney 10. The Langham Shanghai, Xintiandi      The Westin Josun Seoul

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