Taiwanese Spend One-Third of Their Trip on Their Phones; 40% Refuse to Book Hotels Without Wi-Fi

It’s common to see people staring at their phones while walking down the street. According to the latest mobile travel survey by Hotels.com, Taiwanese travelers use their phones an average of 3.6 hours per day while traveling — significantly more than the global daily average of 2.7 hours. This means that during a trip, aside from sleeping and eating, one-third of their time is spent on their phones. “Photo-check-in” has become a top travel trend, with social media posts almost dictating travel destinations. Although Taiwan ranks third in phone addiction behind Thailand and South Korea, 40% of Taiwanese would refuse to book a hotel if it doesn’t offer free Wi-Fi.

As many as 50% of travelers said having their phone makes the trip more enjoyable; even 40% of Taiwanese would refuse to book a hotel without free Wi-Fi. (Photo / Provided by the newspaper group)

According to a report by United Daily News, 25.3% of Taiwanese travelers said they feel more anxious about their phone running out of battery while traveling than about losing their wallet or missing a flight. The survey also observed travelers' mobile behavior — aside from using GPS/maps to find directions and discover attractions, sharing their trips on social media has become a popular trend. The most popular content to post includes food photos (53%), followed by famous tourist spots (46%) and photos with travel companions (45%).

When choosing travel destinations, 56% of Taiwanese travelers first consider the destination’s “social media potential,” meaning they think about whether photos taken there will get lots of likes, comments, and shares before deciding to go. Social media can be described as the digital travel guide for the internet generation. A quarter of Taiwanese said they visit certain attractions because of posts and check-in spots they’ve seen online.

Daniel Crag, Mobile Vice President at Hotels.com, said that this is the second year of the Hotels.com mobile travel survey. In addition to further confirming the increasing importance of phones during travel, it also found that travelers are more eager to seek out experiences worth posting online, using personal updates to build up their social currency. This explains why 50% of travelers say having their phone makes the trip more enjoyable, and 40% would refuse to book a hotel without free Wi-Fi.