If you’re the kind of person who struggles to understand Americans who have no interest in travelling overseas, then you’re going to want to make sure you’re safely seated for this one.
A recent report by ABC Life revealed that some 40 percent of AUSTRALIANS have NEVER been abroad.
Nearly half of the country has never travelled overseas. Not even, New Zealand!
I guess it’s somewhat easy to wrap your head around why Americans don’t see a reason to leave their country – it has 50 states and five self-governing territories (one of which is Puerto Rico where the main language isn’t English) to discover.
While Australia has plenty of charm (click here for six unexpected Aussie encounters), it always seemed like a right-of-passage for Aussies to book their first international vacation .
But apparently not.
The findings by ABC Life were supported by DFAT’s 2017/18 research that revealed only 57 percent of Aussies actually own a passport.
Before you start pulling at your hair and screaming ‘whyyyyy noooooottt?’, here are the answers you’re looking for and how you, as a Travel Advisor, can help these non-travelling Aussies convert to the living-out-of-a-suitcase side.
1. They can’t catch ‘the travel bug’
EXPLANATION
In ABC’s study, one woman said she’d left NSW once for a trip to the Whitsundays. Although she told the publication that she enjoyed the trip, she doesn’t see herself going overseas because she doesn’t have ‘the travel bug’.
SUGGESTED COMBAT
Sure enough, the Whitsundays is a beautiful holiday destination and one of the purest parts of Australia, but perhaps the reason she didn’t catch ‘the travel bug’ there is because it wasn’t the perfect holiday spot for her.
As a Travel Advisor you can ask questions, find out what these unexplored Aussies like, what they get up to day-to-day, what types of adventures they enjoy and then fit them to their perfect holiday. Because just like the cruise industry likes to stress, the wrong destination (in cruising’s case – ship) can make or break travel for an individual.
2. Fear of the unknown
EXPLANATION
The same woman told ABC Life that another reason she’s hesitant to board a flight is that she has a fear of the unknown. “From worrying about being kidnapped to not speaking a language or lacking control”.
SUGGESTED COMBAT
These fears, although foreign to regular travellers, are very understandable because they come from a lack of knowledge.
As a Travel Advisor, you can combat this by encouraging fearful Aussies to book an international destination where communication is as easy as knowing how to speak English. You can also recommend countries that aren’t overly different from Australia but have enough differences to make it worth exploring (such as Canada). You can also reassure them that using a Travel Advisor means that they have full control of their entire vacation and should anything sudden arise, you’ll be there to support and guide them through it.
3. No interest because ‘it’s all the same’
EXPLANATION
A 23-year-old told the publication that he doesn’t “see the point” in travelling because “it just all sounds the same”.
SUGGESTED COMBAT
First, take a deep breath and remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Second, put away the brochures and pull out your many travel photo albums (or Facebook galleries). Personal content can often be more enticing than that in an advertising product. Prove to these people that watching young men in Papua New Guinea land dive is unlike anything they’ve seen at home or dancing in the streets of Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval is unlike any party they’ve attended.
Click here to read the full article.
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