As the Covid-19 pandemic has been brought under control in some Asian countries, and social distancing measures are slowly relaxed, the long-repressed travel itch is for many now growing ever more insistent. High up on the list of relatively lightly affected global destinations, Taiwan has emerged as the most-popular searched destination for travel until year-end, followed by Thailand and Japan, according to search data revealed by Agoda. Cruise to nowhere? Singapore launches pandemic-friendly getaways The Singapore-headquartered digital travel platform said the data was from 11 markets including Australia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam. View this post on Instagram Lotus Pond Lake from a different and unique angle thanks to @luke_liu.tw . Located in #Kaohsiung City . Tag your Partner to #triptotaiwan ——————————————————————— Want to be featured ? . Follow @taiwan_tourism . Tag #taiwan_tourism ——————————————————————— #Lakeview #exploretheglobe #Taiwan #台灣 #goexplore #nature #outdoors #adventure#naturelovers #natureaddicts#adventureaddicts #hiking #HeartOfAsia #amazingtaiwan#exploretaiwan #natgeotravel#natgeo #natgeoadventure #worldnomads#adventuretaiwan #visittaiwan #hiketaiwan#adventureseeker #chinesetemple #旅行 #Chineseculture #Temples A post shared by Taiwan Tourism Guide | 台灣旅遊攻略 (@taiwan_tourism) on Jun 20, 2018 at 10:39pm PDT Taiwan topped the travel escape searches list among all different traveller groups, from solo travellers to couples, families or groups, beating last year’s champion – from what now seems an utterly different time – Thailand. Thailand was the second-most-searched destination, ahead of Japan, with Vietnam and South Korea rounding out the top five. The United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia completed the top 10 in that order. Beyond the top spot, Agoda’s search data showed distinctions between types of traveller, with Japan and Thailand taking second and third in that order for solo travellers, while more family travellers searched for travel deals in Thailand ahead of Vietnam. Think robots and VR 8 vegan dessert destinations in Taiwan sure to satisfy any sweet tooth For groups, Vietnam just stole into second spot ahead of Thailand and this traveller category also searched for a more diverse range of destinations, including the Philippines and Israel, which did not feature in the top 10 for all travellers. In 2019, there was a broad mix of international destinations across the Asia-Pacific, but Taiwan is now receiving the bulk of searches, with fewer markets for international travel open due to the prolonged pandemic. The digital travel platform said Taiwan is a key destination in the second half of this year, dominating the list with seven of the most popular tourism spots in the top 10 – Hualien, Yilan, Taipei, Kenting, Taitung, Nantou and Taichung. This marked a dramatic change from last year, which featured a diverse set of travel choices right across Asia. 7 best destinations in Africa if you’re not into safari Most searched cities Hualien, Yilan and Taipei were the most popular destinations searched for stays in the latter half of this year, with Hualien and Yilan newcomers in the year’s top 10. Bangkok and Tokyo, the two most searched destinations during 2019, fell to the seventh and ninth spots respectively. View this post on Instagram Located in Hualien Country, Danongdafu Forest Park covers an area of vast, about 1,250 hectares, boasting mesmerizing sceneries and recreation features. . Nestled between the Coastal and Central Mountain Ranges, the views here are breathtaking and the high grass teems with birdlife. . Perfect Location for sport acitivites, family activities, Photography and for some quiet. . #Taiwan #TheHeartOfAsia #טאיוואן taiwan.org.il facebook.com/taiwan.org.il A post shared by Taiwan Tourism Guide | 台灣旅遊攻略 (@taiwan_tourism) on Oct 1, 2018 at 8:52am PDT The port city of Hualian was the most popular destination for all categories of traveller, save for solo travellers who opted for Tokyo. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 宜蘭旅遊.宜蘭勁好玩 (@travelyilan) on Jan 13, 2019 at 6:30am PST Yilan, which is known for its natural landscape and local delicacies, held the second-highest appeal for group and family travellers. Other cities with natural attractions considered by family travellers were Taitung on Taiwan’s east coast, and Nantou where travellers can escape to the serenity of Sun Moon Lake. Couples are eyeing Taipei, while solo travellers, who favour big cities that offer plenty of culture and vibrant nightlife, are dreaming of Tokyo and Bangkok. View this post on Instagram Looking back at the fireworks show, it's so beautiful at that moment. 回顧煙火秀，花火璀璨一瞬間。 新北板橋 感謝 @justin0620 分享美照 歡迎 @newtaipeitour 或 #newtaipeitour，並追蹤我們！ 踴躍分享你眼中的美麗新北，讓更多人看見！ #新北 #台灣 #旅行 #新北景點 #旅行故事 #拚防疫也拚市政 #板橋 #新埔 #Taiwan #newtaipeicity #travelgram #popdaily #like4follow #thisisnewtaipeicity #ท่องเที่ยวไต้หวัน #ที่เที่ยวดัง #สถานที่ท่องเที่ยวยอดฮิต #เที่ยวไทเป #写真好き #絶景 #台湾風景 #綺麗な A post shared by 新北市觀光旅遊局官方IG (@newtaipeitour) on Sep 14, 2020 at 4:44am PDT For couples, this year’s destination wish list was led by Hualien, Taipei and Bangkok, followed by Yilan and Jeju Island – last year’s couple searches led with Bangkok, Tokyo, Pattaya, Bali and Taipei. For families, this year’s wish list was led by Taiwanese destinations Hualien, Taipei and Yilan, in the top five, with Bangkok and Jeju Island also taking spots, compared to last year’s Tokyo, Bangkok and Okinawa. What awaits Chinese travellers post-coronavirus? Group travellers have shifted their searches to the countryside destinations of Hualian, Yilan, Nantou, Taitung and Kenting for travel in the remaining months of 2020 – a shift from beach destinations like Batangas, Pattaya and Okinawa that featured as the top three searches in 2019. Interestingly, for solo travellers, Tokyo, Bangkok and Taipei have held firm in their spots, the most-searched cities for both 2019 and 2020, with Hualian, Jeju Island and Okinawa making their debut this year. Singapore, Bali and London, which were solo travellers’ most-searched destinations in 2019, were missing from this year’s wish list. After spending some time with travel restrictions in place, travellers are understandably shifting their searches away from well-known tourist destinations to lesser-known places, and moving away from cities towards nature and beaches. 8 awesome live-streams to help you pretend you’re on holiday, not lockdown “What Agoda’s data is showing us is there is still a hunger to travel,” Agoda vice-president of corporate development, Tim Hughes said. “People are enjoying exploring their own countries whether alone, with family or with friends, but most importantly, they still have hope that travel corridors will open later this year to some key markets where Covid-19 has been more contained, and are looking out for great deals for when they do.” Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter . This article originally appeared on Korea Times.