impact.com in collaboration with Digital Travel Insights (by WBR), has released its inaugural travel marketing insights report titled “Beyond the Booking: Where APAC Travel Brands Are Investing for Growth.” The study features perspectives from 100 SEA marketing leaders and 1,200 travellers from Singapore, Australia, and China, and explores how businesses and consumers are navigating an evolving travel landscape. It highlights shifting preferences, brand priorities, and the need for marketing strategies that keep pace with rising consumer expectations in a dynamic, experience-led industry.
The report provides a well-rounded view of how brands are transforming their marketing strategies and how consumers discover and purchase travel-related products and services. As demand for travel cools post-pandemic, brands are grappling with travel fatigue and economic pressures, driving greater focus on retention (65%) and brand-building (64%). Yet, many SEA marketers still prioritise online advertising to drive bookings, a channel trusted by only 27% of Singaporean and 18% of Australian travellers for purchase inspiration. To overcome rising ad costs and competition, a fundamental rethink of marketing investments towards more trusted and high-impact channels, such as influencers, affiliates, and collaborative brand ventures, is essential for today’s businesses.
“The modern consumer demands trust, transparency, and authenticity, and they turn to their communities and trusted sources of information to guide their purchasing decisions,” said Adam Furness, Managing Director APJ at impact.com. “The brands that thrive are balancing acquisition with retention and community-building through partnerships with affiliates, influencers, publishers, customer advocates, and more. This report highlights how partnerships can help marketers increase revenue and build valuable connections with travellers through authentic content, recommendations, and reviews.”
Key themes from the report include:
- Understanding and Engaging The Evolving Traveller
APAC travellers are digitally savvy and discerning, with peer recommendations and word-of-mouth referrals ranking as top influences for travel-related purchases, trusted by 62.5% of travellers in Singapore, 67.5% in Australia, and 75% in China. Despite this, many brands still underinvest in these high-trust channels, highlighting a key growth opportunity.At the same time, travellers, particularly in Singapore, also rely on a broader range of platforms when making decisions. Comparison sites (74%), OTAs (65%), loyalty programs (51%), and social media (31%) all play a key role, highlighting the need for brands to maintain visibility across multiple touchpoints to effectively guide consumers along the purchase journey.
- The Role of Partnerships in Driving Growth:
In Singapore, 68% of travellers trust review and comparison sites the most, which is on par with China (72%) and ahead of Australia (59%). This presents an opportunity for brands to embed affiliate links in travel content and guides, capturing intent early in the decision-making journey.To move travellers from inspiration to booking, savvy brands are broadening their partnership strategies by working with influencers, affiliates, OTAs, premium publishers and other partners. More than 1 in 4 marketers (27%) still turn to OTAs and aggregators to reach high-intent audiences. But with commission fees reaching up to 30%, many are re-evaluating their spend. Meanwhile, 25% pointed to affiliate marketing as a growing priority, favoured for its performance-based structure that rewards partners only when bookings happen, while also meeting consumer demand for cashback, loyalty perks, and discounts.
- Where Travel Marketers Are Doubling Down:
While marketers indicate an emphasis on doubling down on online advertising (27%) and OTAs (28%), affiliate marketing (15%) and influencer marketing (11%) are playing an increasingly important role. In Singapore, 45% of travellers trust affiliates and 63% trust influencers when planning their journeys. This trend extends across the region, with 50% of Australian travellers trusting affiliates and 68% turning to influencers, and in China, 59% and 75%, respectively, highlighting the growing influence of these channels in travel decision-making.
The report also discusses key opportunities, trends, and business priorities shaping the region’s travel and hospitality sector in the year ahead.
