Kathleen A. Llemit (Philstar.com) February 5, 2021 – 12:35 p.m.
MANILA, Philippines – Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is just like the New Year for many Filipinos: many almost always fly to a beach destination or a tourist Mecca. However, this year many travelers, including Filipinos, are choosing to stay closer to home.
This is partly due to practical, security and sentimental reasons. Many borders are still closed while air travel is costly. The cost of quarantine hotel and swab tests are part of the budget for anyone planning to fly to many destinations.
As a result, many are looking for destinations closer to home.
Based on booking data from Agoda.com, Cebu tops the list of domestic destinations. Tagaytay (number 2) and Boracay (number 4), locations that are traditionally not frequented by pinoys at this time, reached the top 5 this year.
According to the booking site, this trend continues to show that Filipinos are getting within their reach, ousting Davao City and Palawan from last year’s top 5 list.
While traveling in style still featured most searches with travelers looking for one to 3.5 star hotels, Agoda found that looking for accommodations outside of the hotel with facilities like kitchens and separate living and sleeping areas recorded an upward trend.
Couples have emerged as the top type of Filipino traveler who will travel during the lunar new year. This reinforces the idea that pinoys keep every trip within the allowable parameters of state health and safety protocols.
“Just like the mythical ox of the Chinese zodiac, the Asian traveler proves his resilience and strength in this lunar new year through his determination to get away and make the most of domestic travel opportunities. Alternating with times without COVID, our data shows that beaches and landscapes are more popular than city trips and high-energy destinations. People want to reward their hard work and resilience with improved stays in prime locations, be it beach destinations like Boracay Island (Philippines) or Phu Quoc (Vietnam), scenic mountains like Khao Yai (Thailand) and Chiayi (Taiwan). or historical cultural destinations like Xian (China), ”said Timothy Hughes, Agoda’s vice president of corporate development.
Top Lunar New Year Destinations – Philippines – 2021
1. Cebu
2. Tagaytay
3. Manila
4. Boracay
5. Baguio City
Top Lunar Year Destinations – Philippines – 2020
1. Manila
2. Cebu
3. Baguio City
4. Palawan
5. Davao City
