Tr
t
ravel is the not-so-guilty passion of Asia's
top money earners, according to a survey by
Visa, with people from Hong Kong and India
most likely to go on a weekend get-away.
"New sights, new tastes and new sounds drive
the personal interests of affluent people in Asia
Pacific," said James Lim, regional head of Visa
Consumer Credit and Debt in a statement
detailing results of the survey.
Counting "high income earners" as those in
the top 20-40 percent, the survey said 73 percent
of respondents saw travel as their top personal
passion for the next two years.
Food was second with 43 percent, while
music and cars were joint third with 31 percent.
The survey polled more than 4,000 people in
Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea,
China, Australia, India and Japan. Respondents
listed their passions in order, which is why figures
total more than 100 percent.
Although the survey was carried out in
September and October last year, before the full
effects of the global financial crisis were being felt,
Visa said one-off big purchases were less susceptible
to economic fluctuations than might be expected.
"Passions are pursuits for the longer term
rather than for the present," said Visa.
The most popular travel destinations for Asia
Pacific high flyers were Japan (34 percent), followed by Australia (29) and the United States
(26), the survey showed.
While travel was the first choice for men and
women, men went next for cars and wine, while
women chose food and art.
Surprisingly, sport - including golf - was a
passion for less than 1 percent of respondents.
Tr
t
ravel is the not-so-guilty passion of Asia's
top money earners, according to a survey by
Visa, with people from Hong Kong and India
most likely to go on a weekend get-away.
"New sights, new tastes and new sounds drive
the personal interests of affluent people in Asia
Pacific," said James Lim, regional head of Visa
Consumer Credit and Debt in a statement
detailing results of the survey.
Counting "high income earners" as those in
the top 20-40 percent, the survey said 73 percent
of respondents saw travel as their top personal
passion for the next two years.
Food was second with 43 percent, while
music and cars were joint third with 31 percent.
The survey polled more than 4,000 people in
Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea,
China, Australia, India and Japan. Respondents
listed their passions in order, which is why figures
total more than 100 percent.
Although the survey was carried out in
September and October last year, before the full
effects of the global financial crisis were being felt,
Visa said one-off big purchases were less susceptible
to economic fluctuations than might be expected.
"Passions are pursuits for the longer term
rather than for the present," said Visa.
The most popular travel destinations for Asia
Pacific high flyers were Japan (34 percent), fol-
lowed by Australia (29) and the United States
(26), the survey showed.
While travel was the first choice for men and
women, men went next for cars and wine, while
women chose food and art.
Surprisingly, sport - including golf - was a
passion for less than 1 percent of respondents.