BANGKOK – Confidence in the vaccine rollouts, discussions around COVID-19 passports and alternative state quarantine announcements have triggered an increase in international travel searches, according to digital travel platform Agoda.com.

Agoda’s search data highlights green shoots of recovery and a growing optimism by travelers across Asia that international travel will start to return, with Australia, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia witnessing an increase in the number of international destinations in their top 30 searches in March 2021 compared to December 2020.  Travelers from these markets are joining China, Taiwan and Singapore in their optimism for the resumption of international travel.

Only Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand continued to see zero international destinations in their top 30 searches in both December 2020 and March 2021.  However, interestingly, Thailand and the Philippines both feature strongly as destinations, with Bangkok securing a spot in six out of 11 origin markets’ top 30 search lists.