Online accommodation booking website Hotels.com has conducted a survey into the social [media] habits of travellers and have come up with some surprising results.
The survey reveals 95 per cent of travelling Hong Kongers spend up to two hours daily on social media
- Social gloaters – 42 per cent of Hong Kong travellers admit to uploading photos and 36 per cent say they check-in to special places on social media to show off
- Sights over appetite – Attractions most searched for content for Hongkongers on holiday
- Facebook face-off – 1 in 10 are competitive Facebookers and check their travel buddy’s posts to make sure theirs are better
- Live like a local – More than half of surveyed travellers use mobile maps to get around and almost one-third rely on mobile to learn the local lingo
According to the Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker a global study of 9,200 travellers across 31 countries, reveals that while away Hong Kongers turn into social media show offs, use mobile to search for the next attraction to visit and have Facebook Face-Offs with our travel companions, or with friends on the other side of the globe.
You’re not really getting a tan unless your friends know about it
59 per cent of Hong Kong travellers will spend more time glued to smartphones than on sunbeds. On average 1.6 hours a day will be spent topping up the tan, compared to 2.5 hours a day glaring at mobile devices. Shockingly, 11 per cent of Hong Kong travellers will even spend more than five hours a day with their smartphone in their hands.
Because ‘likes’ matter
42 per cent of Hong Kong travellers admit to uploading photos to social media just to show off and 36 per cent admit to checking into places on social media just to make friends jealous.
Hong Kong travellers typically spend two hours a day on social media channels though more than one-fifth spends over three hours a day on their social feeds. Nearly half (46 per cent) say they comment on friends’ posts just so they don’t miss out on anything out while they’re away.
9 per cent of Hong Kongers engage in ‘Facebook-Face-Off’ with their travel companions… checking travel buddy’s social posts.
Exceptional willpower: mind over food
41 per cent of Hong Kongers admitted that their mobile device was their primary source of information while away. When it comes to the content being searched: the next tourist attraction (67 per cent) to visit is more important than the next eatery (65 per cent). Hong Kongers are four times as likely to search for a restaurant than to search for a bar while on a trip.
The most popular content:
- Tourist Attractions – 67 per cent
- Restaurants and food markets – 65 per cent
- Maps and Directions – 59 per cent
- Public Transport – 55 per cent
- Translation via an app – 32 per cent
Appy Holidays
40% of people only select a hotel if it offers free Wi-Fi. The top five app categories while traveling:
- Social Media (61 per cent)
- Mapping (55 per cent)
- Travel (55 per cent)
- Public Transport (52 per cent)
- Messaging (39 per cent)
Maps, keys and concierge – mobile does it all
More than half respondents (54 per cent) said they used the map features on their smartphones to get around and 29 per cent have used it to translate local words or phrases.
Travellers also seem to be embracing the latest in mobile technology developments, with 14 per cent having checked into their hotel through their mobile device and 6 per cent even used their smartphone as a room key. 15 per cent of travellers used mobile to contact their hotel while in resort and 4 per cent have tried out a mobile concierge service.
Snap-Happy Holidaymakers
39 per cent of Hong Kong travellers now take pictures of their destination on their smartphone, with almost a third (29 per cent) also using it to take photos of their hotel room.
Jessica Chuang, regional marketing director of Greater China and Emerging Southeast Asia and India for the Hotels.com brand says, “ 34 per cent of people in our study prefer to book a hotel using a mobile app. It’s therefore no surprise that today’s modern tourist is so reliant on their smartphone, and as technology is advancing it’s becoming a more indispensable travel companion. Our study shows that some travellers, especially millennials, spend more time looking at their screens than enjoying the sun or the sights. However, most Hong Kong travellers are actually using their device to search for local sights or attractions, food only comes second and information on public transit is third. Only 42 per cent of people might have admitted to uploading photos to social media to make friends jealous but we all know you’ve definitely Instagrammed a holiday selfie to show off!”
