NZ and US vying for spot as top holiday destination for Aussies
Although the amount of Aussies heading overseas on holiday has risen in the last decade, the destinations that are being ticked off bucket lists are changing, according to a report from Roy Morgan Research.
Ten years ago, 6.0% of Aussies had an overseas holiday planned. This number has since ballooned to 10.6%.
New Zealand was the top destination for travellers with 18% planning to pop over to our nearest neighbours for their next holiday - but that’s less than the number who had the same plans ten years ago.
Norman Morris, Industry Communications Director at Roy Morgan Research said, “It should be noted, however, that holiday intention to New Zealand bottomed out over the 2012-2013 period (at 13.6%), and has since turned around. Holiday intention to Christchurch also crashed during this time in the wake of the 2011 earthquake, but appears to be bouncing back.”
In 2006, New Zealand was stuck behind England as a top destination, but the Motherland has since slumped in popularity, down to 13.6% of travellers, from a healthy 20.2%.
The US also came in ahead of England at 17.8% - which was an increase from 14.6% in 2006. It was one of the few destinations that rose in popularity, along with Japan and Indonesia.
Morris said that the 25-34 year old age group was leading the surge in holidays to both the US and Indonesia - primarily Bali - although under 25s played a big role in the latter as well.
“With the Australian dollar going further in Indonesia and the US than Europe, it’s not surprising that younger travellers favour these destinations,” he said.
The value of the dollar may be a factor in France’s slump in popularity, for example, as Paris is now ranked the world’s fifth most expensive city. However, Morris added, it was not the only factor that comes into consideration when Aussies plan a holiday.
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“The proportion of Aussie overseas holiday intenders planning to visit France has dropped from 10.6% as of June 2014 to 7.3% in June 2016, a period in which there have been several terrorist incidents in the country, including the Charlie Hebdo shooting and the multiple attacks across Paris in November 2015,” he pointed out.
Especially considering that most travel insurance policies exclude acts of terrorism from their cover, it’s no surprise that incidents like this may affect Aussie travel plans.
Most popular Aussie holiday destinations: 2006-2016
| Destination | July 2005- June 2006 | July 2105 - June 2016 | More or less popular? |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 19.5% | 18% | - |
| USA | 14.6% | 17.8% | + |
| England | 20.2% | 13.6% | - |
| Japan | 6.1% | 9.1% | + |
| Singapore | 8.7% | 8.7% | |
| Indonesia | 4.0% | 8.5% | + |
| Thailand | 8.4% | 7.4% | - |
| France | 11.7% | 7.3% | - |
| Italy | 9.7% | 6.6% | - |
| Fiji | 5.9% | 5.4% | - |
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