5 December 2011
Media Release

Queenstown tops the Travelbug survey

More than 80% of New Zealanders intend to travel domestically over the summer holidays, and Queenstown is their most sought after destination, according to a survey by travel website Travelbug (www.travelbug.co.nz).

The online survey of 11,000 Kiwis found that 82% of people intended to travel within New Zealand in the next three months.

Head of Travel at Trade Me, Daniel Bridges, said 71% of people preferred to pay for a room when they went away, and 85% were not keen to share a room. “Clearly the vast majority of people like to have their own space and are prepared to pay for that, as opposed to crashing on couches with friends and family.”

People aged 18-39 were most likely to want to stay away for a night in the city they lived in, and couples with kids were particularly keen on this idea. Mr Bridges said the drivers for parents were obvious. “Who wouldn’t want to ditch the kids with the babysitter for a night of peace and quiet, unbroken sleep, room service, and being able to watch what you like on TV?”

Queenstown rules

In terms of destinations, Queenstown was a clear winner. It was deemed the best destination people had visited in New Zealand (attracting 16% of the vote), and it was also most preferred as the “next place you want to visit” (15%).

Mr Bridges said Queenstown was massively popular because it was built for visitors. “It’s no longer just a winter playground – there’s so much to see and do and it really is an exhilarating place to be all year-round. It’s exciting and unlike anywhere else in the country with world-class visitor experiences like ZipTrek Ecotours, Shotover Jet and bungy-jumping.”

He said it made sense to see “the Queenstown obsession” was strong amongst the younger crowd, with 26% of those aged between 18 and 29 picking it as their number one choice of holiday destination.

Northland also rated strongly, with those over 60 selecting it as their favourite place to visit.

In the hotel

Kiwis revealed their biggest hotel hygiene fear was discovering unwashed sheets in a room, with 32% of people selecting this over an infestation of bedbugs (24%).

Mr Bridges said men aged over 60 were the bravest. “The over sixties blokes are tough – 22 per cent of the older guys reckon they have no hotel hygiene fears, well in excess of the national average of 14 per cent.”

Women aged 18-29 are the hotel scaredy-cats with 95% indicating some sort of hygiene fear.

New Zealanders also revealed some other fascinating habits once they were inside a hotel’s door:
52% said taking anything from a hotel room, even toiletries, was akin to stealing
68% of women aged 18-25 thought it was fine to grab the toiletries
43% prefer to pop into the hotel bar for a drink, rather than the local pub (39%)
Men are more likely to wander into the wrong hotel room (7% have done so)
73% prefer a cooked or buffet breakfast over a continental breakfast


Top 5: The place Kiwis want to visit next
1. Queenstown
2. Northland
3. Fiordland
4. Coromandel
5. West Coast

Top 5: The place Kiwis most enjoyed
1. Queenstown
2= Northland and Coromandel
4. Otago
5. Nelson

Top 5 hotel hygiene fears
1. Unwashed sheets
2. Bedbugs
3. Dirty toilet
4. Nothing
5. Dirty shower

-ends-

© Scoop Media