Australians to spend billions on holidays, food and chocolate this Easter

Over four million Australians are planning a trip away this Easter with $7.1 billion to be spent on holidays, while around $1.5 billion will be splurged on food and chocolate, in a major boon for tourism operators and retail businesses.Research released today by the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in conjunction with Roy Morgan has found that:

• Of the Australians going away this Easter, 63% will be travelling within their own state, 34% will be going interstate and 3% overseas

• Those aged 35-49, and the most likely to have a family in tow, are set to spend an average of $2,000 on their Easter holidays, totalling $2.6 billion overall - more than any other age group

• 73% of Australians say they plan on buying easter food like hot cross buns, chocolates and easter eggs, spending an average of $100 on these items with nearly $1.5 billion to be spent in total

• People in NSW are set to spend the most on easter food – almost $500 million for an average spend of $104, followed by Victorians who’ll spend $400 million for average spend of $100

• Of the Australians planning to buy easter food, around two-thirds (66%) say they’ll be spending about the same as last year. Around a fifth (22%) say they’ll be spending less with around one in ten (12%) saying they’ll be spending more

ARA CEO Paul Zahra said Easter is a time for family get togethers, travel, and specialist food like easter eggs and hot cross buns, which will be in hot demand this year. 

“Australians have had their travel restricted at various stages through the pandemic, but with the borders opened, people will be taking advantage of the upcoming Easter long weekend, getting away and spending $7.1 billion on their trips – a significant boost for tourism operators and local businesses who’ve been doing it tough these past two years,” Mr Zahra said.

“People will also be indulging in the traditional easter foods and specialist items like easter eggs and hot cross buns, with spending of around $1.5 billion and 78% of people say they’ll be spending the same or more than they did on these items compared to last year.

“This is the first holiday period in two years that many people will be taking advantage of the time off and getting away with family and friends, which is great to see. Travel plans were discarded in 2020 and 2021 due to the various snap lockdowns, and last Christmas was disrupted by Omicron. With minimal Covid restrictions in place and Australia’s high vaccination rate providing safety and confidence, people are now starting to go back to living their lives as normal.

“We also know that DIYs around the home and garden will also be popular this Easter long weekend – it’s the last break many people will have before winter sets in. People who aren’t going away traditionally use this time to upgrade things around the house that they’ve been putting off for months due to their busy work schedules.”

This ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 2,184 Australians aged 18+ on Friday March 11 - Wednesday March 16, 2022.

Media Enquiries:
Dominic Cuschieri
M 0418 224 072
E dominic.cuschieri@retail.org.au