Thailand held its ground as Thai Airways and Bangkok slipped in Smart Travel Asia magazine’s latest poll.
The big winners were Bali, Thailand (despite Bangkok’s drop, largely on account of airport woes and taxi scams), Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, and Singapore, with Vietnam picked as the fastest climbing destination with an attractive quality-to-price ratio.
While Qatar Airways bagged top spot in 2018 as the best airline worldwide with the best business class, just ahead of perennial favourite Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways salvaged some pride with sixth place for business class (the same as last year) and sixth place for cabin service (down from third in 2017).
AirAsia was back as the No.1 budget airline in Asia, with Jetstar Asia at the second spot, while Nok Air featured in the top 10. No American airline made it in the top 10 list in any category.
“Most airlines have cut back dramatically on economy class comfort and service. This is lamentable. But US-based carriers are notoriously horrific in all classes compared with Asian carriers,” said a reader.
Singapore’s Changi airport (where the new Terminal 4 operates) once again ranked as the best airport worldwide with a wider margin this year, while Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi was out of the top 10 for the second year in a row, with passengers complaining about overcrowding, poor traffic flow within the airport, and problems with taxis offering package deals instead of using meters.
Laid-back and breezy Samui airport, which made it to the top 10 in a number of previous years, just missed the cut, finishing at 12th this year.
While Shanghai took the top spot in this year’s top 10 holiday destinations in Asia (with Bali and Taipei squeezing in together at second), Bangkok weighed in at fourth (down from third in 2017 and No.1 the year before that). Again, taxi scams appeared to be the major complaint among frequent travelers. The airport drop has also affected perceptions of Bangkok in travelers’ minds. Still, four Thai destinations made it to the Top 10 holiday destinations in Asia: Bangkok, Phuket, Samui and Chiang Mai.
Hong Kong placed as the No.1 city for meetings, while Bangkok held its ground at fifth (same as in 2017). Singapore stayed at second having received a small fillip with recent world events focusing on the city.
Several Bangkok hotels fared well against regional competitors, with many listed in the top 25. These included The St Regis Bangkok (joint No.1 for business and cited for service excellence, food and beverage, quality amenities, and location) and Park Hyatt Bangkok, while The Athenee Hotel placed fifth for conferences and InterContinental Bangkok was sixth in the same category. Also in the top 25 were several Anantara hotels, Trisara, Santiburi, and three Centara hotels.
In a heavily contested field for the 10 best luxury hotels in Asia was the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, coming in third. The hotel was a popular choice across the board for a variety of reasons, with a top 10 ranking as well for best wedding hotels in Asia. The hotel was cited for service, food, and proximity to shopping and dining.
For the top 10 boutique hotels in Asia, 137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai shot to No.1 with Twinpalms Phuket and Indigo Bangkok also appearing on the top 10 list.
Other key winners in 2018 were Ayana Resort & Spa Bali (No.1 spa hotel in Asia), InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (No.1 wedding hotel in Asia), and Grand Hyatt Bali (No.1 family hotel in Asia).
According to the survey, younger online travelers are increasingly brand-blind as the online media they primarily read is dominated by small boutique brands building presence through social media and word-of-mouth. These smaller brands see great amplification online, where legacy brands tend to lose out due to pricing, environment and other factors.
They are also impulse buyers who tend to go with the flow and can change direction abruptly. Older travelers (50-60 years) and up tend to be more discriminating when it comes to travel research and tend to stay with classic picks where service standards can be predicted. These are legacy product consumers.
The 65-years-and-up category again seems to enjoy a second childhood of sorts, with new boutique choices and price-sensitive picks. They crave variety and local experience, and tend to fall off the luxury grid, though they will spend on quality. This is reflected in the annual vote as well.
“We are so tired of the usual brands, where there is never any thrill of the unexpected. We don’t want to find New York in Phuket,” said an older customer in the survey.
The poll is based on the views of a high-spending, high-travel audience that makes an average of 14 annual air trips within and to Asia.
