We know that value can be a big factor when it comes to booking a getaway, so in January we collected insights across the the 456,000+ local searches during the month to create the first Cheapflights Compass, an annual research piece that reveals the most affordable destinations for Kiwis across the Asia Pacific.*
While the most popular search options included Australia, India, Fiji, Thailand and Indonesia, the results uncovered strong potential for savings to the most affordable airports. Based on a national average for return fares, these include airports based in Western Samoa, Tonga, Indonesia, China and Malaysia.
For example:
– By choosing Tonga (one of the most affordable) over Thailand (one of the most popular), New Zealanders could save an average $471 per fare.
– Selecting Indonesia or Malaysia over Thailand could also save $243 or $90 respectively.
– Exploring China instead of India could deliver savings of $373 per fare.
Our data also showed that by flying out on Thursday instead of Saturday, Kiwis could save $66 per fare, while booking two to six months in advance could provide a $45 saving on each fare, as opposed to booking one to two months ahead.
Interestingly, booking an APAC holiday six to 12 months in advance could actually cost an additional $63 on average per fare.
According to the Cheapflights Compass, the most affordable international destinations in the Asia Pacific (excluding neighbouring Australia) are:
From Auckland
| Auckland Airport | NZ$ |
| Apia, Western Samoa | $541 |
| Nuku’alofa, Tonga | $567 |
| Nadi, Fiji | $731 |
| Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | $765 |
| Rarotonga Island, Cook Islands | $810 |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | $818 |
| Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia | $846 |
| Suva, Fiji | $877 |
| Shanghai, China | $901 |
| Qingdao, China | $907 |
| Yintai, China | $919 |
| Singapore | $942 |
| Guangzhou, China | $952 |
| Shenyang, China | $953 |
| Noumea, New Caledonia | $1,024 |
| Fuzhou, China | $1,028 |
| Changsha, China | $1,032 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | $1,047 |
| Phuket, Thailand | $1,060 |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | $1,098 |
| Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia | $1,107 |
| Fukuoka, Japan | $1,127 |
| Da Nang, Vietnam | $1,338 |
| Kochi, India | $1,382 |
| Chennai, India | $1,383 |
From Wellington
| Wellington Airport | NZ$ |
| Nuku’alofa, Tonga | $760 |
| Nadi, Fiji | $794 |
| Apia, Western Samoa | $845 |
| Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | $887 |
| Rarotonga Island, Cook Islands | $881 |
| Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia | $934 |
| Port Vila, Vanuatu | $992 |
| Singapore | $1,103 |
| Guangzhou, China | $1,102 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | $1,144 |
| Manila, Philippines | $1,156 |
| Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam | $1,173 |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | $1,180 |
| Fukuoka, Japan | $1,202 |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | $1,189 |
| Tahiti, French Polynesia | $1,262 |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand | $1,292 |
| Chennai, India | $1,306 |
| Chiang Rai, Thailand | $1,333 |
| Cebu, Philippines | $1,346 |
| Nha Trang, Vietnam | $1,358 |
| Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia | $1,371 |
| Kochi, India | $1,387 |
| Hyderabad, India | $1,451 |
| Yangon, Myanmar | $1,481 |
From Christchurch
| Christchurch Airport | NZ$ |
| Nuku’alofa, Tonga | $748 |
| Apia, Western Samoa | $770 |
| Nadi, Fiji | $840 |
| Rarotonga Island, Cook Islands | $873 |
| Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia | $929 |
| Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | $944 |
| Harbin, China | $1,040 |
| Suva, Fiji | $1,042 |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | $1,121 |
| Guangzhou, China | $1,126 |
| Singapore | $1,142 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | $1,199 |
| Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam | $1,222 |
| Manila, Philippines | $1,227 |
| Nanning, China | $1,250 |
| Changchun, China | $1,314 |
| Langkawi, Malaysia | $1,337 |
| Delhi, India | $1,365 |
| Hong Kong, China | $1,375 |
| Yangon, Myanmar | $1,398 |
| Busan, South Korea | $1,410 |
| Kochi, India | $1,425 |
| Colombo, Sri Lanka | $1,455 |
| Ahmedabad, India | $1,460 |
| Kathmandu, Nepal | $1,481 |
From Queenstown
| Queenstown Airport | NZ$ |
| Nuku’alofa, Tonga | $811 |
| Rarotonga Island, Cook Islands | $956 |
| Nadi, Fiji | $994 |
| Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | $1,081 |
| Suva, Fiji | $1,115 |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | $1,115 |
| Denpasar, Indonesia | $1,219 |
| Apia, Western Samoa | $1,318 |
| Phuket, Thailand | $1,329 |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | $1,345 |
From Dunedin
| Dunedin Airport | NZ$ |
| Nuku’alofa, Tonga | $806 |
| Apia, Western Samoa | $867 |
| Nadi, Fiji | $908 |
| Rarotonga Island, Cook Islands | $966 |
| Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia | $1,048 |
| Singapore | $1,170 |
| Noumea, New Caledonia | $1,314 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | $1,339 |
| Shanghai, China | $1,446 |
| Tahiti, French Polynesia | $1,556 |
According to the Cheapflights Compass, the most affordable international destinations in the Asia Pacific (excluding neighbouring Australia) are:
- From Auckland: Western Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands and Malaysia
- From Christchurch: Tonga, Western Samoa , Fiji, Cook Islands and Indonesia
- From Wellington: Tonga, Fiji, Western Samoa and Papua New Guinea
- From Queenstown: Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji and New Guinea
- From Dunedin: Tonga, Western Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands
Other key findings include:
- Five per cent of the Kiwi population visited Cheapflights.co.nz in January 2016, with 53 per cent via a mobile device
- Auckland residents comprise nearly two thirds of all flight searches to the Asia Pacific
- When it comes to domestic flights, Kiwis maintain a love affair with Auckland which was overwhelmingly the most popular internal destination, followed by Christchurch and Wellington
- New Zealand ranks as #1 for Australian travellers when it comes to Asia Pacific destinations, well above their next favourite of Indonesia
*
- The insights are based on information gathered from the 456,532 searches undertaken via Cheapflights.co.nz from 1-31 January 2016.
- Price comparisons provided above are based on national averages, rather than departure airport specific details. Below is a summary of the most affordable airports in the Asia Pacific, with an average fare calculation based on the indicated departure point. Due to the search pools in Queenstown and Dunedin, the top 10 only have been provided.