Asia Pacific (APAC) travellers are still spending on travel, but converting interest into confirmed bookings is becoming increasingly difficult for brands and travel sellers.
New data from global commerce intelligence platform Criteo showed travel demand across APAC remained resilient between March and April, with hotel traffic climbing steadily before recording a late surge of nearly 30% year-on-year (YoY).
But demand is shifting rather than fully rebounding, as travellers become more cautious and deliberate amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Regional trips are benefiting most from this behaviour. Air bookings for short-haul travel rose 1.0% YoY, while medium-haul bookings gained 1.8% YoY. In contrast, long-haul bookings declined 2.8%, reflecting a growing preference for closer-to-home travel.
Compared to travellers in other regions, APAC consumers are also taking longer to commit. According to Criteo, travellers browse an average of 25 hotel listings before making a booking, while 66% say reviews are their top consideration when comparing travel providers.
For travel agents and marketers, this creates a longer window to influence travellers, with sustained engagement becoming more important than short bursts around traditional booking peaks.
APAC travellers are also leading the pack when it comes to AI adoption when planning. This includes the 45% of Japanese travellers and 47% of South Korean travellers who actively use AI for end-to-end trip planning, compared to a global average of 30%.
In March 2026, ChatGPT drove a higher share of travel booking page visits than traditional search by 13 points, and 72% of Criteo's travel clients recorded at least one ChatGPT-referred booking.
“Travel brands no longer win simply by outbidding competitors – they win by making it easier for travellers to understand, compare and choose their offering,” said Szi Wei Lo, executive MD, APAC, Criteo.
“The travel brands that pull ahead will be those treating content and product data as the driver of discovery, not a back-end concern.”
Criteo’s Spring/Summer 2026 Travel Pulse report drew insights from hundreds of travel providers and insights from more than 6,000 consumers worldwide.