Desire for Quality Time Keeps the Kiwi Holiday Dream Alive

Desire for Quality Time Keeps the Kiwi Holiday Dream Alive

14 October, 2015: Concerns about the economy and the rising cost of living, may be forcing Kiwis to tighten their belts, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily impacting on family travel plans.

New research* released today by the Expedia.co.nz brand shows a large portion of parents continue to make travel a key priority, with quality time spent together as a family ranked as the strongest motivation for making holiday plans (45%). This is above having no interruptions from work (20%) and introducing the children to new cities and broadening their horizons (16%).

Despite a weaker New Zealand dollar, Kiwi parents say they are keeping their holiday dreams alive. Nearly a third (30%) are still planning to take an overseas holiday, though almost one in ten (9%) are planning to travel to more affordable destinations or reducing the time they will go away for. A further third (34%) are choosing to stay closer to home with a domestic holiday in New Zealand.

While quality time is the top attraction for parents, price is a key consideration with the cost of accommodation (64%), cost of flights (56%), and getting a ‘deal’ on accommodation and flights (49%) the most important factors for parents when booking family travel. In order to get the best value for money parents are researching cost-cutting measures online (63%), grabbing last-minute deals (30%), opting for all-inclusive holidays (26%) and signing up for travel loyalty programs (17%).

More than one in five savvy parents (22%) package their flight and hotel together to save, a habit Expedia.co.nz expert Kelly Cull says can provide significant savings: “Simply by booking your flight and hotel together at the same time on Expedia.co.nz, you could save up to $232** on the total booking – it’s such an easy way to save. By booking a package, even during peak travel periods like school holidays, parents can look forward to having some extra cash to put towards kids’ activities, entertainment and dining.”

Expedia.co.nz is seeing strong year-on-year demand from families for cost-effective package holidays to popular international holiday hotspots including Melbourne (91%), Sydney (51%), Fiji (37%), Phuket (33%), and Samoa (29%)^.

Cull continues: “It’s encouraging to see so many parents look for ways to help make their travel dreams a reality, not willing to give up on spending precious time together as a family. As a mum, I really cherish the time that my husband and I get to spend together with our daughter when on holiday – such uninterrupted time together can be hard to find.”

Where to find the best savings^*
International:
AVE PACKAGE SAVING
Fiji $559.00
Bali $373.00
Phuket $276.00
Samoa $238.00
Sydney $200.00
Melbourne $160.00

Domestic:
AVE PACKAGE SAVING
Queenstown $111.00
Wellington $43.00

Changing Priorities

While family travel remains a key priority for parents with children of all ages, the factors that parents consider most important when booking a holiday change as children grow older. Outside of accommodation and flight costs, the top priorities for parents are:

For kids under 1:
• Travel time to destination (34%)
• Convenience of flight times (29%)
• Laundry facilities at accommodation (11%)

For kids aged 1-5:
• Cost of accommodation (67%)
• Price of food and drinks, and free breakfast options (34%)
• Kids’ club at accommodation (12%)

For kids aged 6-10:
• Kids’ activities at accommodation (35%)

For kids aged 11-15:
• Sightseeing options at destination (36%)
• Family rooms at accommodation (32%)
• Weather at destination (31%)


For kids aged 16-18:
• Cost of flights (67%)
• Getting a deal on accommodation and / or flights (56%)
• Self-contained accommodation (43%)

ENDS

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