Asia-Pacific travellers face confidence gap in bookings

Teads has published research on travel decision-making among consumers in Asia-Pacific, highlighting what it calls a "Travel Confidence Gap".

The survey of 1,644 consumers across the region found that 79% have travelled or plan to travel in the next 12 months, but only 60% feel confident choosing their next leisure destination.

The findings suggest travel demand remains strong across Asia-Pacific, while booking decisions have become more drawn out and selective. Nearly two-thirds of respondents compare multiple destinations before booking, and most spend between one week and three months researching their options.

That points to a longer planning cycle for destinations, airlines, hotel groups and tourism organisations trying to win bookings. Rather than making quick choices, travellers appear to narrow down a shortlist over time before deciding where to go.

Longer planning

The pattern reflects a more complicated travel market after the post-pandemic rebound. Consumers now face higher travel costs, a wider range of destination options, and a heavy volume of content from social media, creators, digital platforms and AI-based recommendation tools.

Luke Donkin, Industry Director at Teads, said the growing number of options has made decisions harder even as appetite for travel remains strong.

"Travel demand has returned, but consumer decision-making has become far more complex," Donkin said.

"Travellers have more inspiration, more information and more choice than ever before, yet rising travel costs mean every booking feels like a bigger commitment. The opportunity for marketers today isn't simply inspiring people to travel-it's building the confidence that helps consumers choose one destination, airline or hotel over another."

The research argues that for travel brands, the challenge is no longer simply generating awareness. Instead, they need to stay under consideration long enough for travellers to feel confident enough to complete a booking.

Teads described this as a "Shortlist Economy", where travel brands compete less for broad attention and more for a place in a traveller's final set of options. In that context, repeated exposure in trusted environments may matter more than reaching the widest possible audience.

Trust and sources

The study also examined where consumers find travel ideas and which sources they trust as they move closer to booking. Discovery is spread across a wide mix of channels, but trust is more concentrated.

Among consumers planning to travel in the next 12 months, 80% said they trust recommendations from family, friends and travel agents. Another 72% said they trust travel websites and blogs.

Teads said premium editorial environments and long-form video were more effective at building confidence and credibility than social content alone. It did not disclose a separate percentage for that comparison in the released material, but presented the finding as central to how marketers should think about media placement during the planning process.

Donkin said the challenge for marketers is helping consumers make a final choice rather than introducing them to new possibilities.

"Consumers aren't struggling to discover destinations-they're struggling to decide between them," Donkin said.

"Brands that invest in trusted, high-quality environments throughout the planning journey are better positioned to build familiarity, reduce uncertainty and ultimately influence booking decisions."

Marketing shift

The results underline a broader shift in travel advertising as marketers respond to more cautious consumer behaviour. If travellers are spending weeks or months weighing their options, the role of media shifts from prompting impulse to providing reassurance.

For tourism boards, airlines and hotel operators, that could mean placing greater emphasis on channels consumers regard as dependable rather than relying mainly on visibility or frequency. It also suggests that content seen later in the journey may carry more weight than inspiration at the earliest stage.

Teads, which sells advertising across publishers, online video and connected television, framed the findings as evidence that trust and attention have become more important in shaping outcomes. It argued that the industry's task is now to convert existing intent into confirmed bookings by reducing uncertainty during the research phase.

Donkin said that will separate successful brands from those that simply attract notice.

"The brands that win won't necessarily be the loudest," he said. "They'll be the ones that build confidence most effectively. In travel, awareness gets you discovered, but confidence gets you chosen."