Aussies love to travel – fact! One in three Australians travelled domestically in the past six months or internationally in the past year.
The number of Australians travelling overseas for a holiday increased by six percent during the year to reach 5.9 million.
Australians continued their love affair with the great outdoors with 22.4 million (or 1 in 4) trips including a visit to the beach. Going bushwalking was also popular, with 10.4 million trips including this activity.
Socialising was also top of the list when it came to ‘things to do’ on a trip, with dining out a popular activity on 57.4 million trips (or 63 percent of trips), while a visit to friends and/or relatives occurred on 42.8 million trips (47 percent).
According to data from Nielsen’s Consumer & Media View and the 2017 Australian Connected Consumers Report, Australian travellers can be classified into six distinct groups.
1. Conventional travellers
Local tourists visiting their favourite domestic destinations or visiting family and friends. This group is most likely to book travel and accommodation online and the majority (60 percent) are interested in cheap airlines. They represent 20 percent of the Australian travelling population.
2. Globetrotting grey nomads
The affluent, older overseas travellers who like to experience the unknown and are keen to embrace other cultures, 16 percent of the travelling population.
3. Domestic grey nomads
A smaller group (5 percent), they are older travellers who enjoy getting away on weekends or for short breaks and prefer camping, bushwalking and relaxing on the beach. Social media savvy, they often hear about a new product or service online.
4. Escape from reality
The family oriented travellers who are looking for local weekend escapes. Representing 21 percent of the travelling population, the majority (71 percent) have travelled domestically in the past six months. They are heavier users of Instagram and Twitter and trust social media as an information source.
5. Hungry for culture
This group (17 percent) prefer to plan a long overseas holiday and will visit historical sites and museums. They are passionate about food particularly from other cultures and prefer traditional newspapers.
6. Travelling in style
The extroverted, image-conscious and spontaneous domestic travellers. This group (21 percent) use social media to interact with others and obtain information about new products and 70 percent take care of their appearance at all times.