Sunday, 24 May 2020

OUT OF LOCKDOWN AND BACK ON THE ROAD

Our desire to travel abroad hasn’t been curbed despite the COVID 19 global pandemic with two in five Australians eager to take a trip overseas in the next year according to a national survey commissioned by the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF).

But domestic travel is first choice in the short term with almost two in five planning to travel within their own state in the next two months increasing to almost two thirds within the next six months.

And regardless of some state borders still being closed nearly one in five expect to travel interstate in the next two months jumping to almost five in 10 within six months.

The first in a series of surveys conducted by Newgate Research for TTF explores the travel intentions of Australians in the next 6 months as COVID 19 restrictions are gradually lifted.

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said the results of the national survey of 1,500 people show that Australians are keen to travel again once restrictions are eased and although most plan to travel within Australia in the short-term international travel was still on their agenda

“While international travel isn’t likely to open up again until well into 2020 to a certain extent Australian’s are optimistic about being able to satisfy their affinity for travelling the globe.

“Not surprisingly New Zealand tops the list of countries people would like to visit and they consider it no more risky than travelling interstate.

“This is a strong endorsement of plans for a Trans Tasman bubble allowing travel between the two countries and we would be expecting that to commence as early as September.

“Domestic travel however remains the choice of most Aussies as they crave relaxation and time spent away from home.

“Everyone has been bunkered down since the middle of March and with the curve now flattened and restrictions being gradually lifted Australians are keen to get back on the road.

“Visiting family and friends was the most popular reason for travelling (32 per cent) showing how much the isolation has made people yearn for the company of their loved ones with relaxation next best (19 per cent).

“This is great news for the domestic travel market and we hope that Australians will fully embrace their own country while they can’t travel overseas and in the process drive the recovery of our critical visitor economy.”

Other Key Findings of the survey include:

• More people feel confident flying than taking a public bus, taxi or rideshare
• Queensland was the most popular domestic destination with almost 35 per cent of respondentschoosing the Sunshine State followed by NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia with Western

  Australia the Northern Territory and the ACT all equal with respondents

• New Zealand is the most popular international destination with over double the number of peoplepreferring it to second choice Singapore followed by the UK, Japan, USA, Thailand and Indonesia
• One in three are interested in visiting New Zealand almost three in five are keen to go in the nextsix months
• Fear of COVID 19 is the major barrier to travel particularly to overseas travel followed byaffordability concerns
• On average would be domestic visitors expect to spend five nights away from home on their nexttrip
• Three in four expect to maintain or increase their spending despite COVID 19.