WiFi and pools top Kiwi kids holiday favourites

While WiFi is a must for Kiwi teens, they're not too cool to enjoy the hotel pool. Photo / 123RF

Fast WiFi for sharing holiday snaps on social media is of utmost importance to Kiwi kids on vacation.

New research from Booking.com surveyed 22,500 children worldwide between the ages of five and 15 to find out what's really important when it comes to the perfect family holiday.

Unsurprising for a generation of "digital natives", Kiwi adolescents aged between 12 and 15 proved inseparable from their WiFi connections, with 90 per cent rating WiFi/fast internet in their top five most important things to have on holiday.

The same group was found to be avid users of social media, with 52 per cent placing the chance to take cool holiday snaps for their accounts in the top five — ahead of the global average of 44 per cent.

However, for younger children in the five to 11 age group, simpler things proved the most important — with "Activities I can't do at home" and "Being able to eat food I'm not normally allowed" topping the list, with 64 percent of respondents ranking both of these in their top five.

Despite the importance placed on technology, the digitally savvy 12- to 15-year-olds weren't entirely different from their younger counterparts. The Kiwi respondents still rounded out their top five picks with some timeless holiday classics — including having a pool on offer (79 per cent), lots of activities to do (62 per cent) and having a separate room to parents and siblings (59 per cent).

Booking.com Asia Pacific Spokesperson, Jamie De Silva, said, "This data paints a really interesting picture of Kiwi kids and I think reflects New Zealand as a country.

"New Zealand is obviously very tech-savvy, and the kids' responses here are a reflection of that. New Zealanders have always been very adventurous and love to have lots of new things to see and do, and the results demonstrate that's definitely still the case with these little adventurers."

NEW ZEALAND RESPONDENTS

Aged 5 - 11 years old

What are your five most important things to have on a holiday?

A pool / cool water slides - 63%
Being near the beach / sea - 39%
Activities I can't do at home - 64%
Evening activities that mean I get to stay up late - 56%
Other kids to play with - 34%
Having all the ice-cream I can eat - 19%
Being able to eat food I'm not normally allowed - 64%
Being able to eat breakfast late - 16%
Having a room bigger than my one at home - 23%
Bouncy beds - 22%
Getting to do things without mum and dad - 19%
Staff that are good at telling jokes - 6%
Other - 31%

Aged 12 - 15 years old

What are your top 5 most important things to have on a vacation?

Wi-Fi/fast internet connection - 90%
A pool - 79%
Lots of activities to do, e.g. watersports - 62%
Being near the beach - 21%
The chance to take cool pictures for my social media
accounts (Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook) - 52%
Late breakfasts - 24%
Having a separate room to parents/siblings - 59%
Things to do in the evening - 45%
The chance to make friends - 14%
The chance to do things without my parents - 24%
Other - 14%

Data was collected from 22,500 respondents worldwide, with 93 respondents in New Zealand.

- nzherald.co.nz