For the last four weeks, Angus & Associates has been running a series of questions in its Visitor Insights Programme which are designed to understand Kiwis’ travel intentions in the post-COVID environment.
Focussing on the next trip people would like to take, the questions explore where Kiwis want to travel and why, how they will travel and where they will stay, and the types of activities or experiences they would like to have.
“Rather than using blunt measures of travel intention which can be difficult to interpret without context, we chose to take a more qualitative approach," says research director Carolyn Parker.
"This has enabled us to understand not only what Kiwis are thinking, but why, and the types of messaging to which people will respond."
Based on a population-representative sample of n=404 New Zealanders so far (the research is ongoing and is also running in Australia), the research shows that nine out of ten adult New Zealanders would like to take a trip in New Zealand in the coming months.
For a third of the market, the next trip is all about catching up with friends and family. For one in five, it’s about taking in the beauty of New Zealand’s natural environment and, for 15 per cent, it’s about going somewhere they’ve never been or doing something they’ve never done before (or not for a very long time).
"It’s just stunning and also it’s been a childhood memory for quite a long time! My dad’s in a band and he would take us with him while he performed at a bunch of different venues during the country rock festival," says one respondent about their intended destination.
"The country rock festival happens one weekend every year (usually in May I think). But yeah it was always my favourite place growing up. It was that special place that I didn’t visit all the time but it was the rarity of going there that almost made it special.”
Tourism New Zealand’s new campaign (Do Something New, New Zealand) taps this desire for new (or renewed) experiences in our own backyard. But, for regions wanting to develop their domestic tourism market, there are also opportunities in campaigns built on shared experiences with friends and family, on experiences of places that offer peace and relaxation, on the nostalgic return to a favourite place, and on hobbies and special interests (ranging from surfing, to skiing, to cycling and photography).
Angus & Associates is already working with a number of partners to help them better understand post-COVID opportunities and implications for their regions. Information is also available for other organisations looking to understand Kiwis’ travel sentiment at national/regional levels and in key demographic segments.
