Malaysian women love snow holidays

  Whilst snow holidays are usually considered a predominantly male choice, Malaysian women trumped its national male counterparts by exhibiting a stronger interest for outdoor snow adventures, with 58% pointing towards a strong female preference.

Club Med Tomamu Hokkaido

  According to the survey, Malaysian women not only dominated interest in snow holidays relative to the men, but also ranked first in comparison to other Asian Pacific women, with Hong Kong (57%), Singapore (56%), and Australia (54%) trailing closely behind.
  When it comes to choosing ski destinations, Malaysian holidaymakers typically look to neighbouring Asian countries for snow getaways, with Japan emerging a top choice (59%), followed by South Korea (49%). Switzerland ranked third (23%) in the list of preferred ski destinations for Malaysians, despite its distance.
  These are some of the results revealed by Club Med, the Premium All-Inclusive operator and global ski holiday leader, in Asia Pacific’s first snow holiday report, which identifies key insights and influences that drive snow holidays across 11 markets with 5,500 respondents from China to Australia.
  Snow holidays are defined in the scope of the survey as a trip of at least 2 nights to a snow mountain destination of which ski or snowboard and other activities may be a part of.
  With the support of independent market research specialist, Insightzclub, the 2018 report for Asia Pacific maps out a diverse, sophisticated and affluent market of travellers who are becoming avid snow hunters.
 
Key Findings include:
1. Malaysia takes the lead for highest growing female interest in snow adventures (58%) as compared to other APAC countries

2. Malaysian travellers consider Japan and South Korea to be top destinations in the region for snow holidays, with Switzerland emerging as an unexpected top 3 destination 

3. Millennials are driving the Asia Pacific market - Malaysia exhibited the youngest average age of snow travellers, at 34 years old, alongside countries such as China, India and Indonesia.

4. 200 million people from Asia Pacific have taken a snow holiday in the last three years

5. While ski and snowboard are core to the snow holiday, a large variety of other activities are considered by Asia Pacific travellers

6. Summer mountain holidays are also growing in popularity

  Xavier Desaulles, CEO of Club Med, East and South Asia & Pacific said: “This research is a timely insight into the mind of today’s Asia Pacific consumers who enjoy a snow holiday. The market is evolving rapidly in line with Asia’s growing affluence and interest fuelled by back-to-back Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and Beijing.
  “This survey is an essential new tool that will allow us to inform and service our clients and regional partners as we understand how their habits and needs are developing and as we open new mountain resorts regionally and globally,” he added.

Club Med Yabuli, China

Women Lead
 
  Snow holidays are traditionally male dominated but some markets point to a strong female bias and growing interest in outdoor snow adventures beyond skiing and snowboarding.
  Malaysia takes the lead in the region with 58% led the ranking bias towards more female snow holidaymakers. The rank is followed by Hong Kong SAR (57%), Singapore (56%), and Australia (54%).
  Japan and India led with clear male strongholds, scoring 83% and 70% bias towards male snow holidaymakers respectively.
  Japan, Korea & Switzerland remain top destinations for Malaysians when seeking ski destinations and domains, with 59% of Malaysian respondents cite Japan as their number one ski destination, followed by Korea with 49%. Switzerland ranked third; with 23% of Malaysians opt for the European country as a prime ski destination.
  In total, nine out of 11 markets in Asia Pacific reported Japan as their top choice for a snow holiday in the region. Famed for its scenery, abundance of activities, powder snow and cuisine, snow lovers flocked to Hokkaido within Japan.
  Behind Hokkaido, resorts in South Korea were attractive across Asian markets, ranking second while the nascent Chinese snow holiday scene came in a strong fourth. With the conclusion of the Winter Olympics, PyeongChang in South Korea in 2018 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, interest in both these destinations continues to be fuelled.
  The surprise came from Switzerland, ranking third regionally and first amongst long haul destinations.
  For Indian snow enthusiasts, Switzerland was the most popular destination, partly fuelled by the prominence of the country in its Bollywood movie scene. St Moritz in Switzerland was the top long haul destination for Asians looking for a snow getaway.
  On average, 78% of Asia-Pacific stayed longer than four nights and 50% spent at least US$300 per day per person.
  The snow holiday market has seen rapid growth in Asia Pacific in the last three years with an estimated universe of 238 million travellers including 138 million alone in the last 12 months. The numbers correlate with the region’s growing affluence and desire to explore the world in a more experiential and different way whether with family or friends.
  Evidently, China is the largest market of snow enthusiasts followed by India and Japan. However, markets with little or no snow such as Hong Kong SAR, Singapore and Indonesia are showing strong growth albeit from a smaller base as they seek more experience-based holidays, and fresh, clean air.
  Currently snow holidays remain the preserve of the new affluent class and above. 85% of Asian snow holiday goers enjoy a household income of USD 4,000 or more – significantly higher than the comparable general Asia Pacific population at 33%.