This recent increase appears to have been driven primarily by domestic holiday intention and steady overseas travel. In Q42016, 68% of the population had a holiday in the pipeline, with 52% reporting that they were planning a holiday within Australia in the coming 12 months. As of the Q42017, total holiday intention increased to 70% (up 583,000 people), and domestic intention increased to 54% (up 570,000 people).
In contrast, overseas holiday intention is the same as the previous year (11%), remaining relatively stable over the last 12 months (up 60,000 people).
Australians intending to take a holiday in the next 12 months
Source: Roy Morgan Research
Obviously, holiday intention can vary between different segments of the population, with factors such as current life circumstances and even whether they're based in an urban or rural area having a bearing.
For example, holiday intention is markedly higher among parents of kids aged under 16 (74%) than among Aussies in childless households (61%), with this difference applying to both domestic (61% vs 45%) and overseas (10% vs 12%) holidays. 'Empty nesters' are above average for overall intention (77%) due to the elevated proportion of them planning a domestic holiday (61%), while those aged 65+ are less likely to have any kind of getaway on the horizon.
Furthermore, while 70% of Australians living in capital cities and 65% of those based in regional areas are planning a holiday, it's interesting to see that the former are more likely to have an overseas trip on the horizon (12%) than the latter (7%), while the reverse is quite even for domestic holiday plans (54.1% of country Australians vs 53.8% of city-dwellers).
Holiday intention by Helix Persona
Roy Morgan's consumer-profiling tool Helix Personas breaks down the Australian population into seven Communities, comprised of 56 distinct segments (Personas), allows us to pinpoint precisely those Australians most (and least) likely to be planning a holiday in the next 12 months.
These personas are based on demographics, lifestyle, attitudes, behaviour and values.
Not surprisingly, the Persona with the strongest overall holiday intention (at 89%) comes from the upwardly mobile end of the spectrum: the highly ambitious and well earning, socially aware 'Young and Platinum'. While these well-educated, high income, inner city professionals neither top the scale for overseas or domestic intention, elevated proportions of the Persona have international and domestic travel plans - hence their high ratings for overall intention.
Helix Personas most and least likely to be planning a holiday in the next 12 months
Source: Roy Morgan Research
Though the other Personas most likely to be planning a holiday in the next 12 months are distinguished by factors such as age, family circumstances and destination preference, they are all similarly socio-economically advantaged, belonging to the high-value Leading Lifestyles and Metrotech Communities.
Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine, says:
"In the 12 months to December 2017, the proportion of Australians planning a holiday in the next year increased to 70%. While it might be tempting to attribute this recent growth to external worldwide events and global destination, Roy Morgan data shows this increase in domestic intention rather than overseas.
"Helix Personas can assist travel and tourism industry players keen to identify those people most likely to travel within Australia on their next trip. Admittedly, holiday intention is closely linked to socio-economic circumstances, but even among high-income earners, attitudes to travel, accommodation and destinations can vary dramatically. Regional tourism operators and travel agencies wishing to ensure their marketing campaigns are as strategic and effective as possible stand to benefit from the in-depth, holistic insights Helix Personas can provide."