Asia-Pacific leads trendy summer destinations: Mastercard Economics Institute

Asia-Pacific takes into account eight of the 15 most important trends for the summer travel destinations in the world, so Travel trends 2025: Purpose -oriented tripsThe annual report of the Mastercard Economics Institute (Mei) on consumer expenditure in the travel sector.

While the exchange rates and geopolitical dynamics influence behavior, the report notes that personal interests and targeted trips remain important factors that influence travel decisions. Equipped on aggregated and anonymized transaction data and sources of third -party providers, the report describes the current influences on the travel selection.

Target layers and travel drivers
Japan leads the list, with the NHA Trang rising quickly in Vietnam. Tokyo and Osaka are the two best trend goals for summer trips (Juni-September 2025), which reflects the greatest increase in tourism demand compared to previous years. In 2024, Tokyo moved from second to first place worldwide. NHA Trang entered the list for the first time and became more and more popular.

China and India continue to dominate Asian trips. The Chinese mainland remained the world's largest market for outgoing travel reports in 2024. Travelers from China prioritize goals that offer value and relaxed Visa guidelines such as Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. The interest in central Asian goals such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan is also increasing.

So far, India has recorded its highest number of outgoing travelers in 2024. Abu Dhabi, Hanoi and Bali were among the most visited destinations. The growth is supported by expanded direct flight routes and a growing middle class. These two markets continue to influence the global travel flows significantly.

In the Asian-Pacific area, travelers focus more on food, nature and wellness than on traditional sights. Locations such as Gianyar in Bali, Indonesia and Queenstown, New Zealand, have attracted increased attention. Meis wellness trend index (WTI) shows that Thailand remains a leading goal for wellness-focused trips with activities such as eco-lodges and meditation retreats. New Zealand's increasing WTI score indicates an increasing interest in this segment.

Sports tourism also grows. Events such as the Australian Open and Baseball World Series in Los Angeles led to considerable international editions. During the World Series debut in Shohei Ohtan, the expenses of Japanese visitors rose by 91%and underline the influence of sporting events while traveling.

Currency sensitivity and travel patterns
Travelers from the Asian-Pacific area are particularly sensitive to changes of exchange course. A weaker yen in the course of 2024 contributed to an increased inbound tourism in Japan. A 1% depreciation of the Japanese yen against the Chinese Yuan corresponded to 1.5% with an increase in Chinese visitors. In contrast, similar currency movements only led to an increase in visitors from New Zealand and the USA by 0.2%.

The number of Singapore visitors to Japan reached record levels in 2024, which is due to an increase in the dollar in Singapore compared to the Yen, despite higher prices for flight prices and accommodation.

With regard to the USA, Mei found that tourists from India, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan react very much to exchange rate movements. A devaluation of the US dollar against these currencies was a devaluation of the US dollar with an increase in tourist numbers by 0.6 to 0.8%. These patterns reflect that observed in Japan, which indicates that the currency value plays a strong role in travel decisions.

Business trips and security concerns
Business travel patterns also change. Companies reduce the global journey in favor of regional trips. Although fewer trips are undertaken, they last longer. For example, the average duration of the travelers' travelers rose from 8.8 to 10.2 days after Asian-Pacific.

Fraud is still a problem, especially during peak times. Mei reports that fraudulent activities in popular destinations can increase by up to 28% in these times. The general fraud includes overcharge in restaurants and taxis, fake tour operators and fraudulent real estate lists.

David Mann, chief economist of the Asian -Pacific area, Mastercard, said: “This report should offer a clearer view of how consumer behavior develops – and what this means for the growth of tourism.

“The Asian-Pacific region continues to set the pace for global trips, whereby sums such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Singapore capture the imagination of travelers all over the world. Even if the economic uncertainty remains, the journey remains a bright spot that is driven by people who are looking for meaningful, valuable experiences.”

Take a look at the full report here.