Kiwi Business Travellers’ Habits Revealed

Kiwi Business Travellers’ Habits Revealed In Wotif.com & Unlimited Survey

Auckland – 14 December 2007: A 2007 Kiwi Business Traveller Survey by Wotif.com (www.wotif.com) and Unlimited has revealed that the internet is the preferred booking tool for Kiwi business travellers.

Click click and away: Of the more than 1,100 Kiwi business travellers surveyed*, 83% said that they now use the internet to source information for both domestic and international travel, and that it is their primary channel for booking accommodation for business travel. Respondents reported that their main reason for using the internet for booking business travel was due to the convenience that it offers.

Tania Witheford, Wotif.com’s New Zealand Manager said: “Wotif.com’s statistics and research have indicated that business travellers have been migrating online in recent years and these results confirm that the trend is continuing.

“With Wotif.com offering great rates, a fast and easy-to-use site, secure online payments, instant confirmation of bookings and 24/7 support, it’s no wonder savvy business travellers are choosing online and taking control of their own bookings,” she added.

Staying the distance: Just less than half of the respondents travelled for business two to five times per year, however there were some real travel veterans — some 12% of survey respondents stayed in paid accommodation more than 20 times each year.

With regards to the length of their stay, while the majority of respondents typically preferred shorter more frequent trips, some 58% of those surveyed spent a week away, on average, on a single business trip. The next significant proportion was 29% who were absent from home between one and six days.

Finding balance: Being sent away from home a lot does have some perks with a third of the business travellers surveyed admitting that they try to add on a leisure break at the end of their trip.

This comes as no surprise to, Tania Witheford as over 50% of Wotif.com’s consumers use the site for both business and leisure travel.

“This fits in well with the work/leisure balance theory. Business has to be done, but finding time for your partner, family and yourself is also extremely important.

“We have also noticed a trend in people taking more long weekends away instead of larger breaks, so they can escape without falling too far behind at work,” said Witheford.

Respondents reported the following top international and domestic business travel destinations.

Top 10 favourite domestic destinations

1. Wellington
2. Auckland
3. Christchurch
4. Queenstown
5. Dunedin
6. Hamilton
7. Rotorua
8. Napier
9. Tauranga
10. Nelson

Top 10 favourite international destinations

1. Australia
2. USA
3. Europe
4. Singapore
5. Hong Kong
6. Thailand
7. France
8. Fiji
9. Dubai
10. Canada

Wot’s really important: When it comes to the type of accommodation they preferred, most respondents wanted a four plus star hotel at a competitive price, although the most important thing that they looked for was a comfy bed.

“I was surprised at this response because, personally, a comfy bed is not such a priority for me when I’m on a trip. Business travellers we speak to mostly talk about location and being close to the CBD and these factors also rated highly with survey respondents,” said Unlimited editor Fiona Rotherham.

Memorable moments: When asking for their most memorable business travel experiences some humorous replies included one person mistakenly taking the TV remote from her room because she thought it was her mobile phone, to another traveller who recalled suffering a leaking ceiling in his hotel bathroom because Bob Dylan’s bath was overflowing on the floor above!

ENDS

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