Popular tourist cities in Asia are facing increasing pressure to accommodate visitors, with dissatisfaction among residents and stricter management measures already in place in destinations such as Kyoto and Bali. Klook, co-founder of Ethan Lin, believes that so-called "over-tourism" is not just about having too many tourists; the main issue is the concentrated flow of a large number of visitors to a few specific locations.
Klook claims that the problem lies in the excessive concentration of passenger flow.
Lin stated at the Fortune Forum held in Macau on September 8 that many countries are not short of attractions to visit, but rather tourists' itineraries are too similar, putting pressure on a few popular spots. He believes that if tourists can be directed to more areas, the congestion in popular destinations could potentially be alleviated.
A survey conducted by Klook among Asian Generation Z and Millennial travelers shows that 57% of respondents have used AI to search for new destinations or travel experiences. Lin indicates that technology and AI can distribute travel traffic to less well-known locations, rather than continuing to concentrate it in traditional popular tourist spots.
Mastercard also mentions the trend towards niche destinations
The Chief Economist for the Asia-Pacific region, Mastercard, stated in another forum discussion that according to company data, those willing to pay for AI subscription services are more likely to opt for less traditional and less popular travel routes. He mentioned that travelers are actively seeking out "hidden attractions" and new locations they have not tried before, and AI can improve the efficiency of such searches.
The article also mentioned that a resort in Nagano, Japan, attracts tourists by filming skiing content. The owner of the resort, Patience Capital Group, founder Ken Chan, stated that after inviting a team to film snowboarding content for two consecutive ski seasons, more viewers began to wish to experience it firsthand at the location themselves.
Tourism consumption is shifting towards experience-driven approaches.
Many industry executives believe that current travel demand is increasingly driven by experiences, including concerts, sports events, and activities at destinations. Sun Jie, the CEO of Trip.com, stated that current demand can be summarized into three categories: high-end travel, travel with a stronger purpose, and travel that combines leisure with work.
She also revealed that the most expensive travel product, Trip.com, was priced at $200,000 per person and sold out in just 17 seconds after it went on sale. This statement reflects that there is still a clear demand for high-priced, scarce experience products.
In Macau, integrated resorts are also reducing their reliance on gambling, dining, and shopping through various activities and performances. The SJM Resorts hosts the Macau Open golf tournament, while Melco's New濠天地 continuously presents the water show "Water Dance" to extend visitors' stay and boost overall consumption.
"Workation" drives longer stays and increased spending
Trip.com also mentioned that flexible working hours are driving the growth of "workcation" trends. Some travelers work remotely in the second half of the workweek and then travel with their families on weekends, resulting in shorter but more frequent leisure trips.
Lin indicates that travelers are usually more willing to arrange activities and make purchases when they are out of their hometowns, which also makes tourism platforms, hotels, and destination operators place greater emphasis on experience design and itinerary recommendation capabilities. Overall, the role of AI in the tourism industry is expanding from being a search tool to including passenger flow distribution and consumption conversion.
