Published on: July 23, 2026
Singapore – July 23rd, 2026 – International travel across Asia-Pacific has rebounded strongly, but the way consumers make travel decisions has fundamentally changed. Following the post-pandemic travel boom, consumers now face higher travel costs, greater destination choice and an overwhelming volume of travel content across social media, creators, AI-powered recommendations and digital platforms. As a result, booking decisions have become more deliberate, with travellers spending longer researching and validating their choices before committing.
New research from Teads, the omnichannel outcomes platform, reveals a growing “Travel Confidence Gap” across the region. While 79% of consumers have travelled or plan to travel in the next 12 months, only 60% feel confident selecting their next leisure destination. Nearly two-thirds compare multiple destinations before booking, with most spending between one week and three months researching and evaluating their options. Rather than making spontaneous decisions, today’s travellers are taking a more considered approach—carefully comparing destinations before committing. This extended planning journey creates more opportunities for brands to influence decisions by building trust and familiarity.
The findings suggest that today’s travellers don’t lack inspiration—they lack confidence. For destinations, airlines, hotel groups and tourism brands, success is increasingly defined not by generating awareness alone, but by helping travellers feel confident enough to make a booking.
“Travel demand has returned, but consumer decision-making has become far more complex,” said Luke Donkin, Industry Director at Teads. “Travellers have more inspiration, more information and more choice than ever before, yet rising travel costs mean every booking feels like a bigger commitment. The opportunity for marketers today isn’t simply inspiring people to travel—it’s building the confidence that helps consumers choose one destination, airline or hotel over another.”
Rather than choosing from an endless list of destinations, travellers are progressively narrowing their options before making a final decision.
This emerging “Shortlist Economy” means destinations are no longer competing against every possible holiday option—they’re competing to earn a place in a traveler’s final consideration set.
For marketers, this creates a longer window of opportunity to influence purchase decisions. Throughout the planning journey, brands that consistently reinforce trust and familiarity are more likely to remain top of mind when travellers are ready to book.
Consumers discover travel inspiration through a wide range of channels, including social media, creator content, online video, travel websites and AI-powered experiences. However, the study found that trust is concentrated within a much smaller group of sources.
Among consumers planning to travel in the next 12 months:
The findings reinforce that while discovery can happen almost anywhere, booking decisions are influenced by environments that consumers perceive as trustworthy.
“Consumers aren’t struggling to discover destinations—they’re struggling to decide between them,” added Donkin. “Brands that invest in trusted, high-quality environments throughout the planning journey are better positioned to build familiarity, reduce uncertainty and ultimately influence booking decisions.”
The findings indicate that the industry’s challenge has evolved. Consumers already want to travel—but converting that intent into bookings increasingly depends on helping travellers navigate uncertainty.
As travel planning becomes longer and more considered, brands that remain visible across trusted, premium environments are more likely to influence destination and booking decisions.
For destinations, airlines, hotel groups and tourism organizations, this means shifting focus from maximizing impressions to creating meaningful, high-attention experiences that build trust throughout the consumer journey.
“The brands that win won’t necessarily be the loudest,” said Donkin. “They’ll be the ones that build confidence most effectively. In travel, awareness gets you discovered, but confidence gets you chosen.”
By connecting brands with consumers across premium publishers, online video, Connected TV and other high-attention environments, Teads helps marketers build the familiarity, trust and confidence that influence travel decisions from inspiration through to booking.
Read more: Teads Launches CTV Ensemble for Unified Omnichannel Orchestration
