CONTRIBUTOR
Australian Luxury Traveller Trends
Short trips to luxury properties within Australia have become a popular choice for the Australian luxury travellers.
Luxury resorts such as Hayman Island, Longitude 131º in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Saffire Freycinet in Tasmania are encouraging the growth in interest in these exclusive destinations within Australia. These resorts are ideally located for luxury travellers who have limited time, as they are close enough to reach within a day’s travel, but isolated enough to give travellers the feeling of being away on holiday.
KPMG Partner Bernard Salt, a leading commentator and advisor on consumers, culture and demographic trends in travel, says luxury-travelling habits have changed to closer, shorter trips away from the cities.
“I suppose trends would be to exclusive resorts at the beach or in the mountains, or to a day spa. They are the sort of destinations that luxury travellers are currently focused on. A shopping trip to Paris was the tradition a long time ago, but not anymore,” he said.
Mr. Salt says luxury resorts in Australia fit in between short trips and long stay holidays, making them popular in choice. There are also ultra-luxury destinations within the Pacific region including Bali, Fiji, Thailand and Vietnam. New Zealand offers ultra- luxury resorts such as trout fishing retreats and many natural spa and health resorts.
According to Mr. Salt, the strong Australian dollar has also influenced travel destinations overseas, with an increasing number of people heading to Thailand and Bali where they can get more bang for their buck. Honolulu is another favoured destination amongst Australian luxury travellers because of its proximity and currency.
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“It’s the closest part of America from Australia, it’s a resort destination and it can be reached in an overnight flight and is very convenient,” said Mr. Salt.
The latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics show almost a 10 per cent growth in the number of people heading overseas in the 2010-11 financial year compared to the year before. Visits to Indonesia and the U.S. hit record levels in June with the strong local dollar and cheap airfares appealing to consumers.
Bernard Salt believes the international market inbound to Queensland will struggle again this summer because of the recent natural disasters in New Zealand and Japan and the economic worries in the U.S. But he says the domestic market to the Sunshine State will be up from last year, which was interrupted by floods and cyclones that significantly affected businesses and tourism.
But Tourism Australia says the number of visitors to Australia was up by three per cent (almost five and a half million people) in the year to June, with the Asian Pacific region leading the numbers. New South Wales remained the most popular destination for tourists, with 51 per cent visiting the state.
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