KEY POINTS:
Almost one million New Zealanders will head overseas for work or holidays in the second half of this year, predicts a travel survey by Mastercard. Outbound travel will rise 2.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis, the survey estimated.
This corresponded with higher personal disposable income and more low-cost travel options, said MasterCard's Asia-Pacific economic adviser, Dr Yuwa Hedrick-Wong.
The MasterIndex of Travel, conducted twice a year, documents findings including the travel habits and preferences of Asia-Pacific travellers. The most-preferred travel destination for holidaying New Zealanders was Australia (55 per cent), which was also the most frequently visited destination of Kiwi business travellers (55.8 per cent). China (19.2 per cent) and Europe (17.3 per cent) were runners-up in the business travel stakes.
Forty-nine per cent of Kiwis put sight-seeing as a top priority, followed by visiting family, friends or relatives (41.4 per cent) and shopping, rest and relaxation (33.7 per cent).
Just over half the number of travellers surveyed used word-of-mouth when planning their trip followed by familiarity (26.0 per cent), and the internet (17.2 per cent).
- NZPA
