STUDY: Nearly one-third of Aussies are getting inked while abroad

A photo of artist making tattoo on male customer's hand. Tattoo expert is working in studio. Cropped image of man getting his hand tattooed.

A new study claims ‘tattourism’ is the latest travel trend sweeping across Australia.

Conducted by Hostelworld, the study found that nearly one in three Australians (31 per cent) admit to getting inked overseas, and almost two in five (37 per cent) have considered getting one.

The research also found that of those Aussie travellers getting inked while travelling overseas, 57 per cent will strongly consider getting a tattoo during their next trip abroad.

Hostelworld’s report claims “tattourism” is a global trend with 42 per cent of Americans, 37 per cent of Australians, and 26 per cent of Brits admitting they’re considering getting inked.

Furthermore, over half of Americans (58 per cent) and Australians (57 per cent), and 49 per cent of Brits who already have been inked abroad have also expressed interest getting a tattoo again when they travel.

The study also points to the next generation of travellers possibly moving toward tattoos as souvenirs.

Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of Aussie travellers said their ink is a permanent souvenir of their experience, although a third mentioned that their travel tattoo was a spontaneous act (33 per cent), and a further 15 per cent admitted they wanted to have a story to tell when they got home.

But not all tattoos are impulsive, according to the study, with more than three in five travellers thought about their design for a substantial amount of time (59 per cent).

The report also indicates that 11 per cent of tat-tourists plan their travel around visiting a specific artist; 20 per cent of Aussie travellers revealed it was cheaper to get inked outside of Australia, with destinations like Bali being a firm favourite on the tattourism list.

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australians abroad Ink study tat-tourism