Sun and sand key to Kiwi happiness

Sun and sand key to Kiwi happiness

Expedia Fly and Flop Report uncovers how much Kiwis really love the beach

· Beach holidays seen as necessity rather than a luxury
· Double digit increase in Kiwis taking beach vacations – up more than a quarter
· Kiwis willing to give up their morning coffee for more sun and sand

Sunny, sandy beach breaks have been revealed as a key ingredient to unlocking Kiwi bliss. Expedia’s annual Fly and Flop Report shows 60% of Kiwis believe that taking a beach holiday strongly influences their happiness.

The global survey of 11,165 participants across 24 countries exposes beach holiday habits around the world and shows globally beach vacations aren’t seen as a luxury but as a necessity with more than 56% worldwide taking a beach vacation in the past 12 months.

When it comes to future vacation plans, despite ranking below the global average of 75%, almost two thirds of Kiwis (66%) are planning a beach getaway in the next 12 months, highlighting a year-on-year increase of 26% on the same insight in 2013.

Commenting on the findings, Expedia’s Louise Crompton said: “Living in a culture renowned for its sun, sand and surf, it’s not surprising that Kiwis, compared to global standards, are more active when they hit the beach.”

When we go and why
· In line with the southern hemisphere summer holidays, Christmas / New Year is the most popular time for Kiwis to take a beach holiday
· A typical holiday for New Zealanders is less than seven nights (in line with the global average), with 3 - 4 days proving to be the most popular length of beach holiday
· The top three influential sources contributing to where we go for a beach holiday are:

o Word of mouth
o Desire to visit a new destination
o Travel reviews

What Kiwis get up to at the beach
· Kiwi’s like to stay active and social. Compared to the global average, Kiwi’s participate more in the following activities when on a beach holiday:
o Walking – NZ 77% (Global– 70%)
o Swimming – NZ 68% (Global– 65%)
o Reading – NZ 61% (Global– 53%)
o Drinking alcohol – NZ 48% (Global – 39%)
o Water Sports - NZ 26% (Global – 21%)

International beach hot-spots
· Kiwis like to stay close to home with Australia, Fiji and the Cook Islands topping our international beach holiday destinations

Spend & Sacrifice
· Nearly a quarter (23%) of Kiwis would sacrifice their morning coffee or tea purchase for an entire month in order to get an extra beach holiday each year
· Globally, 24% of people would work weekends for a month
· Fundamental holiday essentials dictate where we allocate our holiday funds
o Flights (24%) - the highest allocation globally
o Accommodation (23%)
o Food (18%)
o Shopping and souvenirs (7%)
o Excursions, tours, events (6%)

ENDS

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