Australia’s international borders may now finally be open, and interstate borders may finally be opening (imagine reading that sentence 5 years ago…), but that doesn’t mean everyone is ready to travel.
A travel sentiments survey of 1,000 Australians, following the government’s announcement to reopen borders, shows many Australians remain fearful of overseas travel.
The survey was conducted by Savvy.com.au – a website that calls itself, “a one-stop financial partner for a range of products such as car loans, bike loans, marine and much more.”
The headline finding of the study is that 2/3 Australians (of those in the study) are “positive” about the border reopening. It wasn’t all good feelings though. The survey found quite a lot of anxiety in Australians about how the new policies designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 would impact their next trip overseas.
47% of Australians said they were worried about being stranded – more so than catching COVID-19. That’s a big one. 64% said they would be uncomfortable boarding a flight with unvaccinated passengers. 4 in 5 said “international travel COVID-19 policy will influence destination choice.”
Cost is another factor on Australians minds at the moment. PCR tests, at present, add quite a cost to any trip overseas, especially if you plan on going to multiple destinations.
On top of that, 36% said they were “not confident” quarantine changes (for instance, the removal of the need to quarantine in NSW for fully vaccinated travellers) will maintain safety after travel resumes.
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The survey also found N.Z and the Pacific was the top travel destination ahead of Asia and the E.U.
Savvy Managing Director Bill Tsouvalas said of the findings: “There is an appetite to travel and a lot of people have had two years to save up for a trip. Seeing as the upper end of spending is still quite small, with only two percent saying they’d spend over $20,000, this may indicate nervousness in going on holiday for extended periods.”
“But overwhelmingly, Australians are eager to travel once again. They’ve been waiting a long time.”