The sandy beaches of Da Nang, the night life of São Paulo, and Korean barbecue from Seoul are all popular choices for people planning vacations this year, according to global hotel search data on Google.
Specific to Singapore, residents of the sunny island are looking at London, Da Nang and Osaka as the top three destinations for a getaway this year.
In a blog post, the search giant also highlighted new features on Google Travel that will help users plan their trips more effectively.
“As avid travellers, Singaporeans are constantly on the lookout for travel deals and new destinations to explore," said Hermione Joye, Head of Travel for Google Asia Pacific. "Search is a great starting point for them to plan their vacation and deciding when to visit as they’ll see how the weather, crowds and pricing vary across the year in the new search experience."
On google.com/travel, users can get a glimpse of the best times to visit and typical hotel prices for their dates of travel.
The “When to visit” tab shows how weather, crowds and pricing vary across the year. Meanwhile, the “What you’ll pay” tab shows if prices are low, typical or high for the dates you’re considering (grouped by hotels’ star rating).
You can also narrow down by neighborhood by clicking on “Where to stay” to get a summary of what each area is known for, its location score, and the average cost of hotels in that neighborhood.
Google added a personal touch by providing, along with hotel results, information on whether you’ve searched for or stayed at a hotel before, or if there are similar options to places you’ve stayed at in other cities.
You can also easily access your trip information at google.com/travel by adding the Travel shortcut to your phone’s home screen. You’ll be able to see recent searches and things you’ve saved for destinations you’ve been researching, so you can continue planning.
"We hope the new features will help simplify the planning process for people in their search for the right accommodation, so they can spend more time enjoying things that truly matter – the adventures and experiences abroad,” Joye added.
