Space travel high on the agenda for Australian travellers

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Luxury Escapes today released its Travel 2020: Forecasting the new decade of travel report which looks at how Australians will travel over the next 10 years. A glimpse of the study was revealed by LATTE in September. Surveying close to 20,000 Australian travellers, the report is one of the largest travel industry consumer reports in 2019. Luxury Escapes engaged research firm Nature to undertake the research, surveying their own customer base of 3.2 million members, along with a broader cohort of Australian consumers.

The report found that Aussies love to travel, with one in two respondents spending at least $2,000 a year on domestic travel and three in 10 spending more than $10,000 a year on international travel. The research identifies and outlines seven key trends that will impact how Aussies travel in the next decade: International destinations to visit in 2020: Canada (21%), USA (19%), Italy (17%), England (15%) and Greece (14%) The connected trip: One in four travellers want to be connected 24/7 on holidays, 14% go off the grid Transformational travel: Top interests to travel are food (59%), local culture (55%), history (52%) and walking (32%) No bad time to book a holiday: Five nights most popular length of trip, 28% spend more than $10,000 on international travel Conscious travel: One in four Australians would travel for a wellness retreat, 13% would try ‘voluntourism’ Travel innovations: Smart hotel rooms (36%), facial recognition at airport (29%), robot companions (9%) and one in five want to try space travel

How Australians indulge when on holidays:

1. Fancy restaurants – 43%

2. Room upgrade – 32%

3. Massages – 32%

4. Special shopping purchases – 29%

5. High end dining experiences – 27%

6. Private tours – 25%

7. Spa days or treatments – 23%
8. Flight upgrade – 22%
9. Bucket list experiences – 21%
10. Airport lounge access – 19%

Travel inventions Australians are most interested in:

1. Smart hotel rooms – 36%

2. Facial recognition tech to expedite customs / airport – 29%

3. Smart luggage – 24%

4. Green airlines – 23%

5. Jet lag pill / cure – 22%

6. Hyperloop and fast speed travel – 22%

7. Space travel – 18%

8. Jetpack travel – 14%

9. Uber Chopper / drone taxis – 14%

10. Virtual reality – 14%

Luxury Escapes CEO Cameron Holland said the data confirms that Australians are intending to travel even more in the decade ahead. “Frequent domestic travel and an annual trip overseas, increasingly to celebrate life’s milestones, to relax and recharge, or to blend work with a holiday – are all themes that we saw from this research and that marry up with what we’re experiencing,” Holland said. “We’re seeing more and more the importance of providing relevant experiences through personalisation whilst also inspiring travellers to visit destinations they never previously considered thanks to our sophisticated algorithms.”“Understanding how Australians want to travel in the next decade, and what they want to do when they’re away means that Luxury Escapes can continue to provide the best curated experiences in the market,” adds Holland. The report includes feedback from global travel industry leaders including James Bailie, Founder of Bailie Lodges, Anna Guillan AM, Australia Consultant at Kerzner International, Simon Westcott, CEO of Luxe City Guides and futurist Anders Sorman-Nillsson. To view the full report, click here.Want to be in the luxury travel know? Subscribe to our free eNewsletter here to keep up to date with everything in the luxury travel industry.

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