With New Zealanders reported to be making a slower start to travel across the Tasman, just over a week after the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble on April 19th, new data from MYOB’s latest consumer snapshot shows a majority planning to wait over 6 months before they book their Australian trip.

According to the latest MYOB Consumer Snapshot of over 500 New Zealanders aged 18 and over from around the country, over 50% of Kiwi travellers plan to wait between 6 months and over a year before planning to travel to Australia for a holiday, with 27% saying they wouldn’t be comfortable travelling overseas at all in the next 12 months.

The data has highlighted that:

· 4% plan to travel within 1 month of the bubble opening

· 7% will travel within 2-4 months of the bubble activating

· 9% will travel within 4-6 months

· 17% will travel within 6 – 12 months

· 15% would wait more than 1 year

· 27% wouldn’t feel comfortable travelling abroad in the next 12 months

· 19% don’t know

Women are notably more cautious than men about the prospect of an overseas holiday, with a third (33%) of women not comfortable with the idea of travelling abroad in the next 12 months, compared to just over a fifth (21%) of men. Those aged between 20-24 are most likely to plan to travel in the next year, with just 17% saying they wouldn’t be comfortable, compared with a third of those in their 40s – the group who are most reluctant to travel.

MYOB SME Senior Sales Manager – Krissy Sadler-Bridge, says New Zealanders are taking their time to evaluate whether travel is safe before they commit to heading over to Australia.

“With COVID-19 outbreaks still occurring overseas, and publicity around Kiwis having to make their own arrangements if the trans-Tasman bubble closed, I think people are understandably cautious about making short-term travel arrangements,” says Krissy Sadler-Bridge.

“Clearly, there’s still a lot of uncertainty to factor in – and that’s highlighted by the unusually large number of ‘don’t knows’ selected in our snapshot. People are still evaluating the risks of making bookings right now.”

With bookings to New Zealand from Australia reported to outpace outbound traffic by a third, Krissy says there could be an upside for local tourism operators.

“With many Kiwis still reluctant to travel beyond our shores, and Australians lining up to visit New Zealand, the additional numbers may be a welcome boost to our hard-hit local visitor sector.”

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