Asian middle class driving travel to US
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It isn’t just Asia’s size but its thirst to explore the world that is driving inbound travel growth to the US, according to PATA President and CEO, Peter de Jong.
Addressing PATA’s North American AGM last week de Jong added: “An accelerating global economy, much of it driven by Asia Pacific, has resulted in increased trade links between this region and North America, together with an Asian population more engaged in discretionary spending.”
“Although it can be argued that the potential of Asia is strictly a case of having a population of four billion, the growing middle class with increasing disposable incomes and a thirst to explore the world at large provides a convincing story.”
De Jong also cited cultural and family ties for the increasing inbound traffic from Asia. “With over 100 years of Asian immigration to North America, there exist deep cultural and ethnic ties between the two continents. Many Asian visitors travel to North America first to visit friends and relatives and secondly for pure leisure reasons.
“It is these cultural ties that help to stimulate interest in travel to both Canada and the US and form initial perceptions,” he said.
The growing sophistication of the Asian consumer is a major factor to be considered for future growth. “The Asian middle class travels more, they are more likely to crave authentic travel experiences and demand more tailored experiences. Asian travellers are no longer considered low spenders, he said.
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