Domestic holiday intention at a two-decade low

New data contained in Roy Morgan’s Holiday Intention Report shows two-in-three Australians plan to take a holiday in the next 12 months.

As of September 2019, 66.2% (13,729,000) of Australians aged 14+ were intending to take a holiday in the following 12 months, compared with 67.8% (13,820,000) a year ago - a drop of 1.6% (91,000).

In terms of holiday destinations, 50.6% (10,490,000) of Australians were planning on taking a domestic holiday, a decline of 2.1% (248,000) from a year ago. But the proportion of Australians intending on taking an overseas holiday remained steady at 11.2% (2,332,000).

These findings have been obtained from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Australians each week and around 50,000 each year.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the drop in domestic holiday intentions is indicative of a broader trend.

“Although this most recent holiday intention data points to only a small drop in Australians planning a domestic holiday compared to a year ago, longer term data reveals a clear downtrend. In fact, domestic holiday intention has now dipped to its lowest level in the last two decades.”

Proportion and number of Australians intending on taking a holiday

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, October 2017 – September 2018, n = 15,009. October 2018 – September 2019, n= 13,744. Base: Australians aged 14+.

Looking at the travel intentions of Australians from each state, we see Victorians are most likely to be planning on taking a holiday in the next 12 months (71.4%). This was followed by ACT (70.6%), New South Wales (65.4%), South Australia/Northern Territory (64.3%), Queensland (64.1%), Western Australia (61.6%) and Tasmania (58.8%).

“It appears as though Victorians are the most enthusiastic of all Australians when it comes to planning a holiday. While I’m sure many will claim that’s because they are harder workers than those from other states, particularly New South Wales, I’ll leave that discussion to individuals!” Ms. Levine said.

Proportion and number of Australians from each state intending on taking a holiday

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, Oct. 2018 – Sep. 2019, n= 13,744. Base: Australians aged 14+ 

Data from the Roy Morgan Holiday Intention Report also showed that people aged 30-49 were more likely to be intending on taking a holiday in the next twelve months (72.6%). This was followed by 50-64 (68.8%), under 30 (63.4%) and 65 and over (55.7%).

“The data shows some interesting results regarding the holiday intentions of various age groups. Both the under 30s and those 65 years and above fell below the national average, whereas expectations might have been that because these two groups traditionally have fewer constraints on their time and money, they would have been among the most enthusiastic holiday intenders,” Ms. Levine said.

Proportion and number of Australians by age group intending on taking a holiday

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, Oct. 2018 – Sep. 2019, n= 13,744. Base: Australians aged 14+.

Long-term domestic holiday intention – 12 monthly moving average

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, Apr. 2000 – Sep. 2019. Average rolling 12 month interviews, n= 20,116. Base: Australians aged 14+.

View the Holiday Travel Currency Report or the Roy Morgan Leading Indicator Report for Holiday Travel Intention.

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