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26 November, 2020

New report reveals the countries Aussies are most reluctant to visit now

New research has uncovered which destinations Aussies will and won’t want to visit once international travel restrictions lift.

The Travel 2021 – Travel Reimagined report, based on a survey of 6,000 respondents by Luxury Escapes, found that the US is the country that Aussies are most reluctant to visit right now as a result of COVID-19.

In second spot is the UK, followed by Italy, China and Indonesia as the least-craved international destinations.

Interestingly enough, two of those five countries are also among the top ones that Aussies want to visit next.

According to the report, New Zealand (unsurprisingly) is the most popular, followed by Japan, Italy, Fiji, and the UK.

While international travel is halted, the majority of survey respondents are planning for a domestic trip – 88 per cent, to be exact.

The report found that the top domestic locations to visit in 2021 will be Tropical North Queensland, the Whitsundays and Queensland islands, Sydney, the Gold Coast, and Tasmania.

However, if you go off the domestic destinations with the highest volume of bookings for 2021 so far, Luxury Escapes named the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Port Stephens, and Canberra as the top five.

When it comes to the things Aussies are missing most about travelling, 50 per cent of survey respondents said ‘bucket-list experiences’, 49 per cent said ‘staying in hotels’, 38 per cent said ‘visiting family’, 35 per cent said ‘flights’, and 30 per cent said ‘visiting friends’.

As for the types of experiences Aussie travellers are interested in, food was number one, followed by local culture, wine/distillery/brewery, health/spa/relaxation, and short staycations.

In terms of accommodation preferences, 69 per cent of survey respondents opted for a resort, 54 per cent want to stay in a hotel, 38 per cent are keen on a serviced apartment, 33 per cent crave a boutique hotel, and 32 per cent are seeking a private home or villa.

When asked about their feelings in regard to safety, 28 per cent of respondents said they weren’t fully comfortable travelling yet, 21 per cent said they felt comfortable travelling both domestically and internationally, and eight per cent were only comfortable with domestic travel.

Only four per cent weren’t concerned about safety at all while travelling.

For Aussies, the most important safety measures implemented by the travel industry next year will be COVID-safe travel (44 per cent), greater flexibility (39 per cent), cleanliness and hygiene (13 per cent), and access to medical professionals (three per cent).

The report also found that 43 per cent of respondents preferred to get their information from websites, and 40 per cent said value was important when booking through a travel provider.

You can check out Luxury Escapes’ report in full here.

Featured image source: iStock/stellalevi

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countries destinations domestic travel international travel luxury escapes report research study Travel 2021 Travel Reimagined