A new study suggests that the spontaneous traveller only acts on the spur of the moment after doing extensive homework and being aware of exactly what they are seeking from a trip.

This is the picture emerging from Japanese international advertising and public relations company dentsu's APAC Consumer Travel Landscape (Q1 2026), a study of 3,000 travellers across five Asia Pacific (APAC) markets.

Furthermore, while social media, travel content and AI tools continue to play a major role in shaping how people discover destinations and plan trips, artificial intelligence (AI) is not pushing people toward the unfamiliar. 

More than half (53%) of those canvassed find the recommendations made by AI to be generic, and 42% say AI makes them more likely to stay with places and experiences they already know.  Rather than encouraging endless discovery with AI, travellers are becoming increasingly selective, relying on familiarity, reviews, reassurance and personal relevance when deciding where to go.

Data from Malaysia and Vietnam in particular, show that the spontaneous traveller is the one who has done their homework and knows exactly what they are going for.

Malaysia’s travellers skeptical of social contact

Malaysia represents the most acute version of this shift, with travellers who are highly influenced by social content, yet deeply skeptical of it. 

Audrey Chong, CEO, Malaysia, dentsu, commented, “Malaysian travellers have become extremely sophisticated at navigating modern travel culture. They know how to consume inspiration without being consumed by it. They understand the gap between aesthetic and reality, visibility and value, performance and experience.

“In many ways, this is becoming a market less seduced by fantasy and more interested in experiences that feel real, grounding and emotionally rewarding once the social media moment fades.”

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