The latest research from online market research company, Opinion Compare, surveyed 338 New Zealanders aged 18 or over about their domestic and international travel for holiday.
Nearly half (49%) of respondents travelled internationally for a holiday within the last 12 months. New Zealanders travel to a diverse range of holiday destinations. Out of a total of 50 countries travelled to, the most popular countries for overseas holidays were Australia (19%), the United Kingdom (6%), USA (5%), and Indonesia (4%).
Respondents revealed 2 key trend when it came to planning overseas holiday – the desire to do it themselves by booking online, and the importance of a budget when choosing what to book.
When booking their holiday 78% of respondents made their bookings online directly. Respondents estimated that they spend an average of 10.5 hours doing research before booking. 83.7% did their research online, compared to 16.3% offline.
70% said that meeting their trip costs or budget was a ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important factor when planning their holiday.
Kiwis plan ahead – When booking flights 36% of respondents book 2-6 months head, and 23% book more than 6 months ahead. 2-6 months ahead is the most popular time to book both accommodation (32% of respondents) and vehicle hire (19% of respondents).
For their most recent international holiday, respondents used the following for currency exchange:
|
Exchanged money before I left (but not at the airport) |
52% |
|
I didn’t exchange money but used my existing credit / debit cards instead |
36% |
|
I exchanged money once I arrived at my destination |
24% |
|
I loaded up a pre-paid debit card with money instead |
21% |
|
Exchanged money before I left at the airport |
9% |
|
Other (please specify) |
6% |
|
I used travellers cheques instead of exchanging money |
1% |
Over half (52%) of respondents said that they exchanged money before they arrived at the airport to leave for their holiday. Interestingly a third of travellers (33%) waited until they had arrived at the airport, or arrived at their destination to exchange money.
Gavin Male, Founder and CEO of Money Compare who commissioned that research says that this is a key area where planning ahead could help maximise your holiday budget “If you are planning an overseas holiday you will probably need to buy some cash in the local currency for day-to-day expenses such as attractions, taxis, food or drinks. A competitive transfer rate can help you get more travel money to take on your overseas trip. You can get great value by comparing the options and buying your currency online ahead of time, rather than changing it at the last minute at travel kiosks or at the airport. That’s where Money Compare comes in – the tools on the site allow you to compare the options side-by-side to find the best deal ahead of time.”
