Australian service not up to scratch, says survey

Service has been highlighted as the number one grumbling point for Aussies when taking a domestic trip, according to a new survey.

The latest Domesticate study, released today by TNS, reveals that a significant number of Australians do not think service comes up to scratch, particularly when compared with that on offer in neighbouring countries.

“There is a kind of resentment towards levels of service that we offer here in Australia,” TNS head of travel and leisure Ed Steiner told Travel Today.

“What is considered five star in Australia is not necessarily what is five star in South East Asia. Internationally we’re viewed as a warm, welcoming friendly culture but Australians don’t view ourselves this way, and we feel the service that is on offer is not of a decent enough standard,” he said.

“With the fact that it’s expensive to travel in Australia, when you’re not receiving superior service, people are saying what’s in it for me therefore to travel domestically?”

Although the standard of accommodation is generally felt to be good, high end properties seem inaccessible to domestic travellers due to the high price tags.

“The problem is when you look at the high end accommodation, it’s less accessible and less affordable than it is in a lot of competitive destinations,” Steiner said.

Although Australians want to holiday domestically and support local tourism, particularly to recreate their own childhood holiday memories, enticement to head overseas is very strong thanks to competitive pricing and quality products.

Nonetheless, domestic travel retains its appeal, with Australians seeing it as an important way of reconnecting with loved ones, taking a break from technology and enjoying authentic experiences such as festivals, food and wine.

"With international travel so accessible, domestic travel has been sluggish for years, and we are finally seeing the changing of the tide,” Steiner said. “We’re never going to stop people travelling overseas but potentially we can entice them to travel more domestically.”

Although domestic trips tend to be shorter, they are more frequent with travellers spending “quite a bit”, he revealed.

“We need to get people to take more of these trips – it’s a really good opportunity,” he said, highlighting events as a major driver for bookings. But he stressed that a region must have enough to offer around the event to make it truly attractive for visitors and underlined the need to promote the event further in advance.

Meanwhile, an ongoing emphasis on Australia’s fine dining offerings is missing the mark, according to the research.

“What Australians are actually looking for is high quality accessible dining,” he said. “Everyone’s heard of Tetsuya’s in Sydney or The Atlantic in Melbourne, but no one knows the best place to have a casual dining experience in Australia.”

TNS's annual Domesticate study is now in its seventh year.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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