Australians are on the Move - Travel is a Priority

The quarterly NRMA Travel sentiment survey of 1,450 people has revealed the number of Australians considering travel in 2011 has increased to 84 per cent.*

The number of Australians planning a trip has increased 12 percentage points since the survey was first conducted in March 2009. The March 2009 was conducted at the time of the GFC and the health related fear of Swine flu.

The most recent survey results show 60 per cent of respondents revealed if they were to take a holiday in the next 12 months, they would holiday in Australia – a fall 10 percentage points in two years.

NRMA Travel & Leisure CEO Keith Stanley said it was clear Australians were looking to make the most of the strong Australian dollar and catch-up on trips that may have been postponed due to international events over the last two years.

“Many Australians have said they are preparing to take a holiday this year and the number of Australians wanting to head overseas is increasing,” Mr Stanley said.

“The disasters that have occurred in New Zealand and Japan will no doubt impact on outbound travel, but for those still keen to take a trip we strongly encourage them to take out travel insurance and check that their insurance covers for natural disasters.

“The strong Australian dollar is tempting many Australians to head overseas - the NRMA wants travellers to take all necessary precautions to make sure their holiday is an enjoyable one."

NRMA Travel is a major tourism and travel operator in Australia. Over the last four years NRMA has invested more than $275 million in tourism businesses, including NRMA Travel, Thrifty Australia, NRMA Holiday Parks, Travelodge Hotels, Adventure World, Value Tours, Coral Seas Cruises and Creative Cruising.

*The NRMA Travel survey was conducted before the Christchurch and Japan earthquakes.

(Source: TravMedia.com 2011)