October 2008 News Archive

‘Word of mouth’ driving destination choice for self-drive visitors

09-Oct-2008

A new Australian research report has identified that a majority of those who take self-drive touring holidays are very proactive in independently pre-planning their journeys, with the internet and word of mouth being the most popular sources of information.

The Characteristics of Touring Holiday-Makers in Australia report from Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) revealed that 70 percent of the 430 survey respondents had taken a self-drive touring holiday in the past five years with 99 percent expecting to take one in the future.

The overwhelming majority (87%) of those surveyed said they used the internet as a source of information prior to their trip with the second most frequent source of information being word of mouth (64%) as it was considered to be the most reliable and believable.

Self-drive touring was found to be most popular with people aged 31-45 (31%) and the 46-65 age group (also 31%). Just over twenty percent of those surveyed were 18 to 30 years old with the over 65’s representing 18 percent of the survey group.

Cars represented the main form of holiday transport with one quarter of these towing a caravan, while motor homes were used by 12 percent of travellers. The second most popular form of transport was fly-drive touring holidays.

Fifty percent of those surveyed said their trips were usually between four and seven nights with motels the most popular accommodation option (54%) followed by caravan parks at 47 percent. Twenty six percent sought bed and breakfast accommodation or camped during their break.

Participants were asked to identify their key motives for touring with the top responses including freedom, nature, relaxation, social experiences and personal achievement.

The main theme that emerged from the research was that self-drive holiday makers like the freedom to do whatever they like whenever they like and to have an independent holiday that allows them to engage in a variety of activities.

CEO of STCRC, Ian Kean says this research gives those who provide services for self-drive visitors an opportunity

to gain a greater appreciation of what drives theirs customers.

“This report contains valuable information for motoring organisations and tourism destinations around Australia who depend on self-drive visitors. Motoring holidays have long been the back-bone of domestic tourism, and this research reinforces the current and future importance of the freedom and flexibility of this mode of travel to Australians.

The research also explored what were considered the attributes of a good touring route with responses including clear signposting, well organised themed tours, good infrastructure, availability of facilities such as accommodation at reasonable prices, interesting activities and easily accessible information.

A free copy of the report can be downloaded at http://www.crctourism.com.au/BookShop/BookDetail.aspx?d=564

Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) was established under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres program in 1997, and has grown to be the largest dedicated tourism research organisation in the world.

STCRC was formed to underpin the development of a dynamic, internationally competitive, and sustainable Australian tourism industry.

In consultation with a broad cross section of stakeholders, STCRC undertakes research into the strategic challenges facing Australian tourism and produces reports, information, tools and product s to improve business practices and inform policy development.