COST-OF-LIVING PRESSURES HURT EASTER TRAVEL PLANS

Cost-of-living pressures are disrupting Easter travel plans or activities for more than half of Australians, with the majority deciding not to go away this holiday period.

According to a new survey commissioned by Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) Australia:
• 57% of Australians say cost-of-living pressures have impacted their Easter travel plans or activities this year.
• 64% of Australians have decided not to go away this Easter holiday period, with 40% admitting they can’t afford accommodation or travel expenses.
• A further 15% of Australians are going away for a shorter period, 8% have chosen cheaper accommodation and 7% are holidaying within their own state because of rising living costs.

Which rising costs are hurting the most?

The national survey of 1,000 people, conducted by polling company Pure Profile, reveals food and grocery prices are Australians’ main financial strain, followed by petrol prices (see table below).

Which cost of living pressures do you expect will have the greatest impact on your Easter travel plans or activities?

Item Overall Rank
Food/grocery prices 1
Petrol prices 2
Energy bills 3
Rising interest rates 4
Insurance premiums 5
Rental payments 6
Medical bills 7
Public transport, taxi or ridesharing costs 8
Other 9

Who is going away this Easter?
36% of Australians are going away for Easter, mostly within their own state (27%) with fewer planning to visit another state or territory (7%) and just 2% planning to travel overseas.

What are the most popular Easter travel destinations?
• The most popular Australian destination this Easter is regional Victoria (15%), followed by Melbourne (9%), Sydney and the Sunshine Coast (both 8%) and the Gold Coast (7%).
• The most popular overseas destinations this Easter are New Zealand and Europe (both 19%), followed by the U.S. (13%), Thailand (13%) and Singapore (13%).

How much will they spend and where will they stay?
• For Australians who are taking a holiday, 78% will spend less than $2000.
• Most will be on holiday for a week or less, with 83% stating they’ll be away for 2-7 days.
• The most popular option is to stay with friends or relatives (32%), followed by a hotel/motel/serviced apartment (29%).
• Nearly a quarter of Australians plan to take their pet with them (24%).

What are Australians looking forward to the most this Easter?
Australians are most looking forward to having lunch with family or friends at home (26%), followed by sleeping in (13%) and going to the beach (7%) or watching movies or a TV series at home (7%).

Are Australians buying as many Easter eggs this year?
• 58% of Australians plan to spend less on Easter eggs than last year or not buy any at all.
• 36% plan to spend the same amount on Easter eggs as last year.

Quotes from TTF CEO, Margy Osmond:

“This is concerning for our tourism operators, who are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, and now face the potential flow on effects of rising living costs impacting Easter travel plans,” Ms Osmond said.

“While it’s encouraging to see more than a third of Australians are still planning to go away this Easter holiday period, these figures reinforce how important it is to attract international tourists to come to Australia to help our sector fully recover.”

“International visitor numbers are still down by about one million people compared with pre-Covid levels. To fix this, we must step up efforts to reattract aviation routes from key markets across Asia, Europe & North America. We must also address the skills shortage still hurting our industry and continue to reduce delays in processing visas for visitors and skilled migrants. I’m pleased the government is taking our concerns seriously.”

ENDS