Australia and Japan have been voted the most desirable holiday destinations according to the Visa - Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010. According to the release, 40 per cent of the 6,714 respondents surveyed in this year’s research said they would consider travelling to Australia or Japan in the next two years. When asked to name the most likely destination for their next Asia Pacific holiday, 17 per cent named Australia as their top destination while 16 per cent named Japan.

The survey asked respondents from 13 key Asia Pacific travel source markets (Australia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mainland China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States) about past and future travel plans.

Other Key Findings include:
The land ‘Down Under’ is most popular with Kiwis with 59 per cent picking Australia as their mostly likely holiday destination, followed by travellers from the UK (29 per cent), US (20 per cent) and Japan (17 per cent).
Japan is the top pick for holiday-makers from South Korea (38 per cent), Chinese Taipei (34 per cent), Thailand (26 per cent) and Hong Kong (22 per cent).
Almost half of all those surveyed (47 per cent) said they arranged their trips themselves by booking directly with hotels and airlines.
Most travellers spend three to five nights on vacation, with 32 per cent of respondents saying this was how long they had been away on average over the last two years.
Travellers surveyed were most partial to staying at four-star (27 per cent) and three-star (21 per cent) hotels.
Most travellers tend to holiday with their spouse or partner, with 48 per cent saying they had done so on their travels over the last two years.
Ross Jackson, Head of Cross-Border Business, Asia Pacific, Visa said, “With Australia’s great natural beauty and Japan’s rich culture and history it is not surprising that one in five people say they would consider visiting these destinations in the next two years. With the allure of visiting new places, beautiful natural scenery, affordability and great food the predominant factors in what motivates people to pick a destination, the all round tourism products in these destinations puts them high on any traveller’s list.”

Greg Duffell, CEO, PATA said, “Travel intention intelligence such as is revealed in this annual survey from Visa and PATA is critical for today’s destination and product marketers given the pressures placed on them to improve returns on investment even as budgets are being squeezed. It is vital to gain insight into where one’s customers want to go next. One of the most heartening features from this year’s report is the relatively wide spread of Asia Pacific destinations under consideration by the 13 source markets studied, including the long-haul sources of the UK and the USA.”