NZ overtakes Britain as favoured destination for Aussies

Flight Centre's Colin Bowman says Tourism NZ's advertising campaign had been extremely successful. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand has overtaken Britain as the number one overseas destination for Australian travellers, as the popularity of short-haul travel soars, a survey suggests.

Hong Kong, Malaysia, Fiji, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan have also experienced strong growth in the past few years, according to Roy Morgan Research, the Daily Telegraph reported in Sydney.

Experts said the trend had arisen because people worried about job security didn't want to take too much time off work, the Australian dollar was not as strong as it was during the boom times of the 1990s and the number of Australian's born in New Zealand and Asia had increased.

Flight Centre general manager marketing Colin Bowman said an advertising campaign by Tourism New Zealand had been extremely successful.

"The ads really are inspirational and aspirational and they showcase not just the scenery but also all the activities on offer," he said.

The report showed that while preference for English-speaking long-haul holiday spots such as Hawaii and Canada was waning, more sophisticated destinations such as Italy and France were becoming more popular.

The report said the number of travellers wanting to go to Bali fell after the 2005 terrorist attacks and had still not fully recovered.

The Morgan report, Optimism in a Slowing Global Tourism Market, revealed while consumer confidence had plummeted since December, the number of Australians taking a holiday had not dropped.

- NZPA