Who are the travellers?
· The majority are students, aged under 26 years and with a high education level.
· Although they tend to have lower incomes (51% earning less than $5,000 per annum), they
are clearly prepared to save and/or work during their travels to significantly increase their
spending power.
· Over half identify themselves as ‘travellers’, around a third as ‘backpackers’ and around a fifth
as ‘tourists’. This self-identification, or ‘travel style’, category was used to shed light on
various other findings of the survey and is clearly important, as many differences were
evident according to travel style.
Þ Why are young people and students travelling?
· The main motivation tends to be to explore other cultures (83%), followed by excitement
(74%) and increasing knowledge (69%) – demonstrating the desire to encounter ‘different’
people and places.
· Those identifying themselves as ‘backpackers’ tend to be more ‘experience seekers’ looking
for contact with their fellow travellers. Those identifying themselves as ‘travellers’ have more
social motives and are more likely to be visiting friends and relatives during their trip. It is
those identifying themselves as ‘tourists’ who are more likely to be looking for relaxation on
their trip.
· Younger travellers (under 26) place more emphasis on social contact and excitement, while
slightly older travellers are seeking more individualised experiences, and are less in search of
extreme experiences.