Have Beer And Friend's Couch, Will Travel

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday December 15, 2007

Yuko Narushima

AUSTRALIANS like familiarity when they travel, preferring to stay at a mate's place and drive their own cars on domestic trips, and English-speaking countries when venturing overseas.

They are more likely to tour their state than to journey interstate, and spend nearly as much on drinks as they do on air fares.

A report by Tourism Australia found 38 per cent of overnight travellers stayed with friends or relatives, beating hotels, resorts, motels and motor inns as the most popular type of accommodation.

Driving was the preferred mode of transport, with cars chosen by 91 per cent of daytrippers and seven in 10 travellers away from home a night or more.

Although overnight holiday-makers spent $1.8 billion on air fares, they spent nearly as much on alcohol and beverages, with a drinks bill of $1.6 billion. Accommodation was the biggest strain on the tourist budget followed by the cost of eating out.

Sydney beat Melbourne as the capital city where Australian visitors spent the most money. The result was no surprise to the acting executive director of Tourism NSW, Lyndel Gray.

"Sydney is popular for its great restaurants, the entertainment on offer - such as shows like Billy Elliot The Musical ... as well as shopping," she said.

Overnight tourists spent $4.6 billion in the NSW capital in the year to September 30 and daytrippers spent a further $1.7 billion. Melbourne received half-a-billion dollars less in the same period.

Regional areas were not being neglected. More than half of the money Australians used travelling their country was spent outside the big cities. The regions to benefit most were the Sunshine Coast, the NSW North Coast and the Hunter Valley.

The tourism manager for Bellingen Shire, Brian Stokes, put the North Coast's popularity down to the area's high-profile destinations such as Port Stephens. "The area typifies the classic Australian holiday," he said. "Australians head north for summer for that feeling you get on the first day of your school holidays."

New Zealand was the favourite overseas destination, with 17 per cent of outbound travellers in the year to June 30. It was followed by North America and Britain.

The report also found most domestic tourists preferred to holiday within their own state.

STAYING HOME

67 per cent of Australians going away a night or more stayed in their state or territory.

The biggest cost for daytrippers was on shopping, gifts and souvenirs, at $2.9 billion. Fuel costs were $1.8 billion.

New Zealand is Australia's favourite overseas destination, chosen by 17 per cent of outbound travellers.

SOURCE: SEPTEMBER 2007 NATIONAL VISITOR SURVEY, TOURISM AUSTRALIA.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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