D-I-Y Kiwis Are Their Own Travel Agents

NEWS RELEASE

D-I-Y Kiwis Are Their Own Travel Agents

Auckland, 13 July 2009 – For Kiwi travellers, overseas trips begin with a visit to the internet to plan their own itinerary, according to the Travel Smart Survey1 commissioned by Visa.

The survey, comprising of 2,226 people from 11 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, found that seventy-two percent of survey respondents seek travel tips to help them decide where to go mainly from the internet (43 percent), travel agents (23 percent) or friends, relatives and colleagues (23 percent).

Forty-three percent of respondents across the region consult the internet for travel information, and respondents from Australia (57 percent) and New Zealand (54 percent) were found to be the most likely to use information resources found online. Respondents from Japan are equally likely to consult the internet or friends and relatives (49 percent in each case).

The way the sexes and generations use the internet for travel planning differs. Women are more likely to be their own travel agents than men with 48 percent of the women surveyed saying they use the internet for travel tips, compared with 39 percent of men. In addition, more than half of younger travelers between 18 and 29 years old ( 54 percent) are likely to get information online compared with 33 percent of those aged 40 and above.

Brian McGrory, Regional Head, Debit Products, Visa, said: “Travellers in Asia Pacific are becoming increasingly resourceful and are seeking information about their destinations before they arrive. In fact, we’ve found they spend an average of 14 weeks to plan their trip2.

“Travellers are also making their own travel arrangements, from booking airline tickets to accommodation, using payment cards3 as their primary method of payment. The internet really is a one-stop shop for travellers to plan ahead and websites such as Visa Great Breaks4 allowtravellers to choose from a wide range of attractive offers to suit their needs and budgets.”

1 Survey interviewed departing or arriving visitors/transit passengers (aged 18 years and above, trip length was at least 48 hours) at Singapore Changi Airport. A total of 2,226 respondents were interviewed from Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Fieldwork was conducted from 26 September to 15 November 2008

2 Visa and PATA Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey ‘Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond’.

3 Payment card includes personal credit card, corporate credit card, debit card, ATM/Bank card and prepaid travel card.

4 Visa Great Breaks; www.visagreatbreaks.com

About Visa: Visa operates the world’s largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries and territories.

ENDS

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