Jan 20

New travel trends for Aussie trippers

January 20, 2014

Forget leavin’ on a jet plane; it appears Australians are now turning their attention to the wide blue beyond, with recent retail statistics indicating cruises have become the holiday alternative of choice.

Melissa Madigan, manager of Madigan & Turner Travel Associates in Maroochydore, said cruises had proved the fastest-growing travel category by far over the last 12 months across all Travel Associates outlets, with river cruise bookings up by 52 per cent and ocean cruise bookings having increased by 51 per cent in the past year.

“I think the main reason we’ve seen such exponential growth in this sector is due to the affordable nature of cruises and the variety of options now available for different types of travellers,” Ms Madigan said.

“In the past, cruises have been seen solely as the domain of the over-50 traveller, but now there are plenty of offerings for families and young professionals.”

Earlier this year, the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) reported that almost half of the Australian cruise passengers are under the age of 50, a quarter are aged under 40 and only one third are over 61 years of age.

Ms Madigan and her team, who are based in the Emporio precinct in Maroochydore, have also witnessed strong growth in travel to island destinations over the past few months.

“Destinations like Thailand, Hawaii and Vietnam have proved extremely popular in recent months and I think this can be attributed in part to the strong Australian dollar,” Ms Madigan said.

“Sunshine Coast residents are also showing strong interest in smaller tour group journeys, which offer more tailor-made itineraries which they can enjoy at a more leisurely pace.”

“We’re definitely finding travellers are pinpointing relaxation as their top priority for their holiday at the moment.”

According to Tourism Research Australia, Australians collectively took more than 7.3 million international trips in the year ending March 2013 — an increase of more than 300,000 on figures from the previous 12 months.

Ms Madigan said with consumer confidence building around the country, the increase in outbound travel figures had come as no surprise.

“There’s been a distinct shift in consumer confidence in recent months and I believe this has prompted somewhat of an increase in discretionary spending,” Ms Madigan said.

“People are embracing the idea of spending some of their spare funds on a holiday, rather than saving them for a rainy day. It’s always a lot of fun trading travel experiences and helping customers decided on the best holiday destination for them and their budget.”

Travel Associates is Flight Centre Travel Group’s premium travel brand, comprising 120 consultants in 42 locations nationally and offering exclusive Platinum Fares; a range of exclusive premium economy, business and first class airfares. Ms Madigan manages the boutique Maroochydore store, bringing 17 years of experience in travel consultation to the role.

Madigan & Turner Travel Associates opened its doors at Emporio in 2012, and joins other high-profile tenants including Ferguson Cannon Lawyers, KPMG and Parsons Brinkerhoff in one of the few Sunshine Coast tenancies with access to high speed fibre-optic communications.

More businesses are expected to join the Emporio community in the coming months, with Stage Two of the mixed-use development scheduled for completion in mid-2014.

For more information regarding Travel Associates, visit www.travel-associates.com.au or visit the Maroochydore store at 2 Emporio Place, Maroochydore.

// Ends.

Media contact: Maya Gurry – Fresh PR & Marketing
P: 0410 109 102 E: maya@freshprm.com.au

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