Kiwi's love to get out there and see the world, but recent data from Opinion Compare shows we're not feeling too keen to get out there and explore this year.
While Kiwis may be shying away from overseas travel in the latter part of 2020, data shows we're also pretty keen to get out there and see our own gems – even if they're the ones we're familiar with.
The latest research from Opinion Compare reveals that only one in four Kiwis expect a return to international travel in the foreseeable future and so we’re already planning our domestic holiday destinations.
A nationally representative survey of n=754 New Zealanders aged 18-plus conducted in late April measured the expectation of permission to travel internationally this calendar year, with the majority of the population (57 per cent) holding out little hope.
When asked: 'How likely do you think it is that New Zealanders will be allowed to travel overseas this year (2020)?', four per cent answered 'extremely likely', 20 per cent said 'somewhat likely', 20 per cent said they were unsure, 30 per cent felt it was 'somewhat unlikely' and 27 per cent believe it is 'extremely unlikely' they'll be jumping on an international flight this year.
Unperturbed, there’s a chance for domestic tourism to shine, with Kiwis asked to nominate the destinations they would like to visit in the next 12 months.
However, somewhat surprisingly, the destinations Kiwis are dreaming about visiting domestically are places where the majority of them have been before.
Of the top 10 domestic destinations Kiwis selected as places they want to visit in the survey, only Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park, attract a higher proportion of first-time visitors to returning visitors.
"This research is fascinating in respect to the New Zealand population essentially being creatures of habit," says CEO of Opinion Compare Gavin Male.
"While the list of destinations that Kiwis are wanting to visit for holidays isn’t surprising, clearly in Level 4 lockdown, we were looking longingly at posts of past holidays and not researching new places to visit.
"We know how important it will be for the economy that domestic tourism thrives so it’s going to be critical for these destinations to not only deliver to past visitors, but attract new ones."
