Hotels are more optimistic about profits this year than last year, helped in part by an increase in the number of Australians planning to spend more on their holidays at home and abroad, says the latest biannual TripAdvisor TripBarometer survey.
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The research, undertaken by independent firm Ipsos, shows 75 per cent of the polled Australian hotel operators are optimistic about their earnings this year, up from 68 per cent last year.
The biggest influence on optimism are local events, and hoteliers perceived online reviews to have a more important influence than price and recommendations from friends and families over booking decisions.
TripBarometer included data from more than 61,000 global travellers and hoteliers, including 2114 from Australia.
The survey found Australians plan to spend on average $13,206 on travel this year – up 25 per cent from last year – which is double the global average of $6575. In Australia, 90 per cent are planning domestic trips, up from 85 per cent last year, while 91 per cent are planning overseas trips, up from 74 per cent last year.
“Exploration is back on the agenda in 2014,” TripAdvisor for Business president Marc Charron said. “Travellers are upping their budgets but they are looking for bargains, expecting their accommodation of choice to deliver on value. Special offers, complimentary amenities and exceptional service are all going to be important factors in swaying potential guests.”
Planning ahead
The survey found Australians tend to plan their travel earlier than many other nationalities, with one in 10 starting a year in advance and 36 per cent booking seven to 12 months in advance, versus the global average of 15 per cent. Of the respondents, 73 per cent of Australians had booked their last trip online, which is above the global average of 66 per cent. The majority of hotels in Australia are now offering travellers the opportunity to book via mobile phones.
The top destinations for Australian travellers if money was no object were Canada and Italy, but Australia itself was the top dream destination for many of the other nationalities surveyed.
Tourism Australia, Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines last month launched a major marketing campaign in the US to capitalise on Australia’s status as a popular destination by encouraging tourists to move their travel plans from “some day” to today.
TripBarometer found Australia was number one on the “must visit” list for global families, number two for millennials and number two for retirees.
For the Australian travellers polled, Thailand was the most visited destination in the past 12 months while the US was the most popular one planned for the year ahead, despite the fall in the dollar last year.
