Jakarta, July 16th 2012 – Indonesians are making very different choices for their Lebaran holidays this year, according to latest data trails of users of Wego.co.id, the travel metasearch site that instantly compares the prices and availability of flights and accommodation from hundreds of travel sites.
It’s usual to see an increase in flight-only bookings for the Lebaran holiday period as people return home to their families; the local term for this annual exodus prior to Idul Fitri festivities – ‘mudik’ (homecoming). In contrast, this year accommodation is also being booked at a far wider range of destinations, 165 in total compared to 69 at this time in 2011. Hotel searches have almost tripled on wego.co.id for the period immediately following Ramadan, this year between the 17th and 26th August.
The difference is not necessarily attributed to holidays away from the family however, rather Indonesians are simply searching for the best options to enjoy a catered break together with domestic helpers also on leave – yet 52 per cent prefer to remain in the archipelago.
In 2011 Bali was the clear choice with two-thirds of domestic hotel searches using Wego for the island. In 2012, and with much stronger adoption of the dedicated Bahasa Indonesia wego.co.id, the post Ramadan crowds are seen to be preferring the cooler climate of Bandung at 10 per cent of the total, with Yogyakarta quite popular at 9 per cent. Lombok, Surabaya and historical Malang, close to Balekambang beaches, are also achieving a 2-3 per cent interest, followed by Semarang and the favourite of foodies, Medan with access to Lake Toba and Berastagi.
Another development is Indonesians’ choice of hotel category. While travellers range of accommodation choice for Lebaran extend from suites to bungalows, three in every four users are now arranging 3, 4 and 5-star luxury, an increase on last year’s 71 per cent.
Graham Hills, Managing Director of Wego Indonesia explained:
“With greater access to travel information online, Indonesians are becoming more informed about where they can holiday and how much it will cost. They are finding affordable options in better hotel categories. It is encouraging them to take the opportunity to enjoy the comfort and service these properties provide.”
Wego users can see at a glance which hotels are proving most popular – and the promotional offers – by checking the rankings at each destination on the site.
Flight searches are proving similarly diverse. Two-thirds of Wego’s traffic intend using Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta airport as their departure point during this busy time. The second most popular port of departure is Balikpapan, which outnumbered more populous Surabaya. Batam follows, then jam-packed Medan. Extending into the long-tail Wego is seeing volumes lift at Indonesia’s airports. Travellers are wise to secure the better airfares by making early reservations.
Garuda Indonesia is receiving a quarter of bookings on wego.co.id, followed by Lion Air at 20 per cent, Air Asia at 16 per cent and Malaysia Airlines at 9 per cent. However, Tiger Airways, Sriwijaya Air and Batavia Air account for one in five tickets during the break.
Reflecting international trends, Singapore accommodation searches are up from a quarter last year to a third of all conducted on the site for the holiday period. Indonesians are also comparing options for Kuala Lumpur at 8 per cent and Genting at 3 per cent of the international total. Malaysia accounts for 16 per cent overall.
Hong Kong has jumped from 11 to 15 per cent of searches, well ahead of mainland China’s 4 per cent, although many searches target nearby Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Thailand is maintaining its 11 per cent share. Bangkok, fully recovered from the flooding, accounts for 5 per cent and Phuket 3 per cent, with Krabi and Pattaya also popular choices. Macau continues to rise at 7 per cent of the total and Japan has recovered to 3 per cent.
Indonesian travellers, many of whom are very new to shopping for travel online, if not first time online shoppers, are fast learning how they can save time and pay less by using Wego.
Dates analysed are 17th and 26th of August 2012 inclusive, compared with 27th August to 4th September 2011.
For more information, contact:
Graham Hills
Managing Director, Wego Indonesia
Tel: + 62 812 86 890676
Email: [email protected]
Caroline Bye
Press Office
Wego Pte Ltd
Tel : +65 6438 8242
Email: [email protected]
About Wego
Considered the ideal site to begin planning travel, Wego.com gives travellers a complete view of available flights, hotels, travel packages and deals from hundreds of travel websites in the time that it takes to search just one. The latest pricing, availability and reviews are shown, with tools provided to select the cheapest days to fly and to find the best hotel offers. Travellers then simply click through to the partner websites to book. Wego.com was founded in 2005 by former executives of Intercontinental Hotels Group, Yahoo!, Priceline and ZUJI. Investors include News Digital Media and Tiger Global. In 2010, Wego merged with HolidayIQ.com, an established India based travel content and community site. For more information, please visit http: www.wego.com/about