Online travel company Luxury Escapes today released extensive research into how Australians will travel in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing how attitudes to destinations and types of travel have shifted.
Surveying close to 3,000 Australians, the report found that Australians’ appetite for travel has not waned as a result of the pandemic, with 46% of Australians reporting they are ‘more likely’ to travel and 40% ‘just as likely’ to travel in the next 12 months.
The research identifies and outlines key findings on how Australians are planning to travel post-COVID:
- Australians are still keen to travel, but more than 6 in 10 say their desire to travel to certain destinations has changed
- New Zealand, Italy, Japan, Britain and Indonesia are still the top choices for an international holiday post-COVID, while North America and China are the top destinations Australians want to avoid
- Queensland is the state Australians most want to visit post-COVID (36%), followed by WA (17%) and Tasmania (13%)
- ‘Exploring somewhere new’ is still the top travel plan for Australians (37%), followed by ‘relaxing on a beach’ (25%) and ‘a luxurious getaway’ (15%)
- Despite the recession, 87% of Australians say taking a holiday is still in their budget, with 1 in 10 unsure
- 8 in 10 Australians say supporting local travel businesses in more important to them now compared with six months ago
- The majority of Australians surveyed believe it will be at least 1 year before travel ‘goes back to normal (44%), with 2 years (27%) and six months (21%) other common choices
“It may surprise some, but given how much Aussies love to travel it’s great to see COVID-19 has only made them keener to travel than ever” Luxury Escapes CEO says. “This research confirms that while our top destinations have changed, we’re still keen to explore new locations, which should be welcome news for the domestic travel industry.”
“Australians are actively planning domestic getaways from beach holidays to food and winery stays, and our data confirms they are putting their money where their mouth is, with our domestic product surging – we’re seeing properties we’ve worked with previously have their most successful listings yet, with interstate deal views up 180% compared to the 12 month average and revenue significantly up for both intrastate and interstate product.”
The survey data comes as Luxury Escapes reports a surge in interstate and intrastate deal traffic compared with last year’s levels. Australian interstate product views have increased by 180% and intrastate deals by 260% against the 12 month average, with a significant increase in luxurious in-trip experiences, not just accommodation deals. Food and winery related experiences top the most-popular experiences purchased on the site, as well as a rise in private luxury airport transfers.
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