According to booking data from digital travel platform Agoda, cooler destinations such as Da Lat and Sapa are the accommodation of choice for Vietnamese travelers to ring in 2021. Also, after almost a year of impacted travel due to Covid-19 pandemic, they are indulging in more high-end stays this New Year’s Eve.

This year, travelers are looking to get away from it all to explore more diverse destinations than in 2019. Vietnamese travelers are escaping to cooler destinations this year – charming Sapa makes it to top 10 this New Year’s Eve at #7, while Dalat, elevated 1,500 meters above sea level, finds its way to #2. Globally, beach destinations and coastal cities like Miami Beach (US), Langkawi (Malaysia), Quy Nhon (Vietnam), Yeosu-si (Korea), as well as places known for their natural beauty such as Cameron Highlands (Malaysia), Hua Lien (Taiwan), Laguna (Philippines) and Sapa (Vietnam) climbed the ranks to top 10 domestic destinations in respective markets for staycations this New Year’s Eve.

Compared to 2019, travelers in Vietnam are indulging in 4 to 5-star hotels as their preference this year, nudging 1 to 3.5-stars hotels to second spot. With the exception of Taiwan, Thailand and the United States (US) which favored 1 to 3.5-star hotels as their preference, travelers from the other markets are aligned with the global trend. Korean and Singaporean travelers have maintained their desire for 4 to 5-star hotels as the top choice this New Year’s Eve.

“While 2020 might have upended many travelers’ plans, Agoda’s data that 4 to 5-star hotels are most popular among New Year’s Eve bookings this year shows us that there’s great desire among travelers to pamper themselves and optimistically usher in the New Year in style. We are heartened that travelers are not letting the pandemic dampen their travel spirits, and are also spending the New Year exploring domestic destinations less traveled, supporting local tourism communities in those areas,” said Errol Cooke, Vice President of Partner Services at Agoda.

Note:

Agoda booking data was collated on 10 December 2020 for NYE bookings in 2019, 2020.  4 to 5-star hotel bookings saw an increase of 13 percentage points as compared to 2019.