The Death of Australian Driving Holidays?

The Death of Australian Driving Holidays?

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The Death of Australian Driving Holidays?

According to a recent article by news limited they are, and the statistics certainly show a significant downward trend in domestic travel over the last ten years.

The Roy Morgan Research report “Tourism Trends - A Decade in Review” shows a number of factors contributing to the reduction in domestic travel.

Younger Australian travellers appear to be more inclined to save their money for overseas trips than to go on local holidays.

This latest research shows the number of Australians under 30 who like going away for weekends has dropped 14 per cent over the past decade, and when they do travel domestically they are more likely to fly.

With the Australian dollar currently sitting above parity with the USD, the incentive for overseas travel is certainly greater than any other time in recent history.

Discount domestic airfares have kept Australian holiday prices competitive with overseas travel despite the strong Australian dollar - but this has also meant less people are choosing to drive.

Add to this the global financial crisis from which we are still struggling to recover and petrol costs going through the roof.

Queensland has recently born the brunt of nature’s wrath over the last few months as well with floods and cyclones reeking havoc across the state.

This has also had a significant impact on domestic travel in Queensland especially.

The question begs though, wether or not these factors constitute a temporary dip or a more permanent shift in priorities for aussie travellers.

Australia and in particular Queensland have relied heavily on domestic travel in recent years to offset flagging international travel.

But does this mean the end of the driving holiday?

We’d like to hear your comments on the subject, let us know of a recent driving holiday you’ve had or even if your thinking of driving for your next getaway.

 

Michael Palmer

Date: 11/04/2011