Travel demand across Asia-Pacific remained resilient heading into spring 2026, but a new Criteo report finds travellers are becoming more selective, booking journeys are growing more complex, and conversion is proving harder to close.
The findings come from Criteo’s Spring/Summer 2026 Travel Pulse report, drawing on data from hundreds of travel providers and insights from more than 6,000 consumers worldwide.
Hotel traffic rose over the period, with a late spike of nearly 30% year-on-year, even as OTA conversion rates softened 10% year-on-year in Q1. Air traffic in the region fell 17% year-on-year in Q1 2026, which the report attributes to ongoing tensions in the Middle East prompting many travellers to rethink long-haul plans. In April, air bookings gained 1.0% for short-haul and 1.8% for medium-haul travel year-on-year, compared to a decline of 2.8% year-on-year for long-haul flights.
According to the report, today’s APAC traveller is browsing more, comparing more, and hesitating longer before committing. Travellers now browse an average of 25 hotel listings before making a single booking, and 66% cite good reviews as their top decision factor when comparing providers.
Travel brands no longer win simply by outbidding competitors — they win by making it easier for travellers to understand, compare and choose their offering.
That extended deliberation is playing out across a longer booking season than anywhere else in the world. Travel bookings in APAC consistently outpaced retail sales week-on-week from early July through mid-October 2025 — a longer sustained lead than either EMEA or the Americas.
APAC is also leading on AI adoption for travel planning. The report finds 45% of Japanese travellers and 47% of South Korean travellers are actively turning to 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.
The report includes a case study from global travel platform Skyscanner, which worked with Criteo to redefine its measure of mid-funnel success from clicks to Engaged Search Sessions — defined as sessions in which users did not bounce and completed at least one search for flights, hotels, or car hire. Campaigns optimized against this signal in India and Canada achieved up to a 67% lift in ROI and an 80% increase in engaged search sessions.
“In Japan and South Korea, nearly half of travellers are now turning to AI in their trip planning, a strong signal for the rest of APAC. How a hotel, airline, or destination is surfaced and described by AI now matters as much as how it’s advertised,” said Szi Wei Lo, Executive Managing Director, APAC, Criteo.
“Travel brands no longer win simply by outbidding competitors — they win by making it easier for travellers to understand, compare and choose their offering. The travel brands that pull ahead will be those treating content and product data as the driver of discovery, not a back-end concern.”
Key findings
APAC travel demand remains resilient, but global tensions are changing plans.
- Air traffic in the region fell 17% YoY in Q1 2026 as ongoing tensions in the Middle East prompted many travellers to rethink long-haul plans.
- Appetite for travel has shifted closer to home, with air bookings gaining 1.0% for short-haul and 1.8% for medium-haul travel YoY.
APAC travellers browse, compare, and hesitate longer before committing to travel plans.
- This mirrors a broader global trend: travellers browse an average of 25 hotel listings before making a single booking and 66% cite good reviews as their top decision factor when comparing providers.
Travel bookings in APAC spike between July and October.
- Bookings consistently outpaced retail sales week-on-week from early July through mid-October 2025 — a longer sustained lead than either EMEA or the Americas.
APAC travellers go all-in on AI for travel planning.
- 45% of Japanese travellers and 47% of South Korean travellers are actively turning to AI for end-to-end trip planning, compared to a global average of 30%.
- AI is reshaping the path to purchase – 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.
