More Kiwis planning on escaping overseas

17 August 2010                                                                                     Media Release
 
More Kiwis planning on escaping overseas

Almost half of all New Zealanders (45%) are planning to holiday abroad over the next six months, according to the latest Fly Buys/Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller Survey.

The survey, released by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) today, shows 144,500* more people are planning to take an overseas trip over the next six months, compared with the previous six months.  

Eighteen percent of people have already booked travel or accommodation for their overseas break, up from 13% in February 2010.

CEO of Fly Buys, Lance Walker, says the increase shows that international travel is becoming more accessible.

“It’s been a long cold winter and Kiwis are hanging out for a post-winter break. Not surprisingly, Australia is the most popular international travel destination for winter and spring breaks. The United States was the second favourite international destination, followed by the classic island escapes of Fiji and Rarotonga,” says Mr Walker.

Colmar Brunton CEO Harry Pappafloratos says visiting friends and family is the main reason for our trips, whether in New Zealand or overseas.

“As more Kiwis move across the ditch, it makes a popular holiday destination for visiting family and friends, with 60% of trips overseas motivated by visiting family and friends. Shopping is also a favourite holiday past time, with 55% of Kiwis planning on travelling abroad intending to hit the shops,” he says.

The survey also showed an upward trend in people planning to take trips within New Zealand, with 84% of us planning to take at least one overnight holiday within New Zealand, up from 81% percent six months ago.

And our favourite destination? Wellington holds on to the country’s travel hot spot for the third quarter running, followed by Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Nelson.

TIA CEO Tim Cossar says despite Kiwis choosing to absorb city life when on holiday, the places we recommend to visitors to New Zealand offer a different experience.  

“Queenstown clearly leads in the place we recommended most to foreign visitors, followed by Rotorua, the Coromandel, Wanaka and Fiordland. It’s clear New Zealand’s natural beauty, thrill seeking activities and cultural experiences are the activities we recommend the most,” says Mr Cossar.  

Mr Walker says that price is still a factor in people’s holiday decisions with finances keeping 74% of us from travelling more than we would like to. He says redeeming Fly Buys points for flights and accommodation options is a popular way to stretch the travel budget further.

Further findings
·      47 percent of New Zealanders spent more than they expected on their trips in the last six months.
·      81 percent of all adult New Zealanders have taken an overnight trip in the last six months.
·      84 percent of adult New Zealanders are planning to take an average of 2.4 overnight trips in the next six months.
·      73 percent of New Zealanders would like to travel around New Zealand more in the next six months than they are planning too. The main reasons stopping people are finances (74 percent) and being too busy at work (47 percent).

ENDS

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