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Expedia sees 17-fold increase in flight searches to KL after SG announces travel lane

Expedia sees 17-fold increase in flight searches to KL after SG announces travel lane

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Malaysia is gradually opening up its borders, with the vaccinated travel lane to Singapore launching on 29 November. This news was certainly well received by consumers as search volume for flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur grew by 17 times within 24 hours after the announcement earlier this week. Lavinia Rajaram, Expedia's APAC head of communications told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that accommodation search interest for Kuala Lumpur saw an increase of 60%. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Expedia for statistics on searches from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.

While the announcement on the Singapore and Malaysia vaccinated travel lane spells fantastic news for travellers who have been longing to travel between the two countries, Rajaram said brands have to be reminded of the health requirements that travellers need to abide by. She added that brands should also offer flexible booking options which allow travellers the convenience to change or cancel a booking. "The industry has a role to play to make this transition cost-effective and hassle-free to take away the stress of travelling in the current environment," Rajaram explained. 

Earlier this year, Expedia's study found that half of Singaporeans were still feeling stressed about the thought of booking international trips. Although many locals are looking forward to the idea of travelling again, 71% have been overwhelmed by planning their next trip, they have put off hitting “book” at least once and estimate that they need over nine hours to plan a trip. "It is going to take time for travellers to adjust to a post-pandemic life and the new norms that this may entail," said Rajaram. 

Meanwhile, travel-starved Malaysians also expressed their eagerness to explore when the travel bubble to Langkawi was announced in September. Similarly, Expedia also witnessed a positive small increase in the volume of searches for hotels, especially for trips to Genting, Langkawi, Melaka and Tioman. As compared to before, Rajaram told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE previously that searches for these destinations on the website has grown by 20%, with Langkawi carrying the highest percentage (80%) among the other destinations. 

Separately, Singapore also announced a vaccinated travel lane to Germany in August. According to statistics from Expedia, travel from Singapore to Munich showed two times more interest versus Singapore to Frankfurt. While Singapore was never a top 10 leisure destination for German travellers, Expedia saw interest in travel to Singapore from Frankfurt and Munich jump by 70% within 24 hours after the announcement. 

On the leadership front, Rajaram was promoted to Asia head of PR for Expedia Group brands, such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and VRBO. She was formerly APAC head of communications for the Expedia brand for two and a half years. Prior to that, she was regional head of communications, Asia for three years. Before joining Expedia Group in 2016, Rajaram was regional marketing and corporate communications manager at Dentsu Aegis Network (now known as dentsu international), where she developed and supported all internal and external communications strategy for the network in the region; according to her LinkedIn. 

Join ourDigital Marketing Asia conference happening from 9 November 2021 - 25 November 2021 to learn about the upcoming trends and technologies in the world of digital. Check out the agenda here.

Photo courtesy: 123RF 

Related articles:
Expedia promotes Lavinia Rajaram to Asia-wide group-level PR role
Expedia sees 20% jump in searches for Langkawi and other proposed travel bubbles
Expedia sees travel searches to Germany jump 10-fold after SG announces travel lane
Expedia pumps in 'largest brand spend in 5 years' for global refresh

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