AirAsia Media launches blueprint for 2025's new traveller economy

AirAsia Media, the travel and commerce media network under AirAsia MOVE and the wider Capital A group, has introduced a new strategic architecture designed to help brands navigate what it defines as the “new traveller economy”. Unveiled at the company’s cross-market Travel Horizon 2025 series spanning Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the 3P Blueprint - precision, presence, passion - signals a shift in how travel audiences should be understood and activated.

The launch follows a period of structural change in Asia’s travel landscape. Based on more than 50 million journeys captured through the AirAsia MOVE platform, the company argues that travellers are evolving from transactional passengers into “high-value, passion-driven consumers” whose expectations stretch across every phase of their journey.

This, it said, opens an expanded front of marketing opportunities for brands aiming to influence behaviour before departure, during transit, at destination, and even upon return.

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Presenting the Blueprint, Mahek Shah, head of AirAsia Media, stressed the need for marketers to move beyond surface-level demographic targeting towards a deeper understanding of traveller motivation.

“In the new traveller economy, data is just the starting point. It’s not enough to know who is travelling; brands must understand why they travel and how to connect. Travellers today are lifestyle spenders seeking experiences, not just transit. Our 'precision, presence, passion' blueprint is the answer. It moves marketers from simply reaching an audience with data to building resonance with a community. We are providing brands the clarity to engage travellers at every single point of their journey, from the moment of inspiration to their return home, turning a flight into a full-funnel marketing opportunity,” Shah explained.

The 3P Blueprint is positioned as a mechanism to give brands an end-to-end view of audience intention, behaviour, and emotional drivers - enabling them to build campaigns with measurable precision, experiential depth, and cultural alignment.

Alongside the strategic framework, AirAsia Media shared behavioural insights intended to spotlight emerging growth segments and shifts in travel planning and spending.

Travellers across the region are showing longer - yet highly flexible - planning windows. “Advanced planners” now map out trips 14–30 days ahead, but many still book accommodation only after landing, especially solo travellers and short-trip explorers. Meanwhile, “cross-border explorers” display a more deliberate approach: 35% of international flight searchers return to complete their booking within 30 days.

The data also reveals strong linkages between travel behaviours and retail spending. Travellers who purchase extra baggage are over 50% more likely to shop further during their journey, signalling higher disposable income and intent. Another segment, the “beauty traveller”, demonstrates increasing demand for premium skincare and beauty products on the move - a reflection of the region’s growing intersection between travel, lifestyle, and self-care.

These patterns underline a broader conclusion: travellers represent one of Asia’s most valuable consumer groups. Their decisions influence not just tourism flows but also spending across retail, lifestyle, eCommerce, and entertainment sectors - all touchpoints that AirAsia Media aims to integrate across AirAsia MOVE, its airline network, and Movetix-powered live events.

AirAsia Media positions the 3P model as a practical roadmap for brands seeking to engage these increasingly multifaceted traveller segments. Brands can leverage over 125 travel-intent signals from AirAsia MOVE’s first-party data - spanning inspiration triggers, search behaviour, booking activity, and in-trip actions - to catch audiences at peak moments of intent.

The company offers a combined digital and physical ecosystem across MOVE’s app environment and the AirAsia airline network, enabling brands to maintain visibility from pre-trip planning to inflight engagement. With the rise of Movetix-powered events, AirAsia Media emphasises the marketing value of live experiences. By aligning with communities built around music and sports - industries projected to reach US$1.3 trillion by 2030 - brands can cultivate deeper loyalty among high-interest audiences.

As Asia enters a new phase of post-recovery mobility, the 3P Blueprint marks a clear signal to the marketing industry: the competition for traveller attention is no longer confined to booking windows or inflight ads - it spans the entire travel continuum.

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