“Australians have had their travel restricted through the pandemic, but with the borders opened and safety protocols relaxed, people will be taking advantage of the Easter long weekend,” the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO Paul Zahra said.
“This is a significant boost for tourism operators and local businesses who’ve been doing it tough these past two years.”
An estimated four million are planning a trip away, with $7.1 billion (US$5 billion) to be spent on holidays and $1.5 billion (US$1 billion) on food and chocolate.
In collaboration with Roy Morgan, ARA’s research found that those aged 35-49—the age group which is most likely to have a family in tow—are planning to spend the most compared to any other age group.
They are set to spend an average of $2,000 (US$1,000) during Easter, totalling $2.6 billion (US$2 billion) overall.
Due to the various snap lockdowns, Australians had to discard most travel plans in 2020 and 2021. A surge of the Omicron variant and isolation restrictions last Christmas also saw axed flights and tens of thousands sent into quarantine.
“With minimal Covid restrictions in place and Australia’s high vaccination rate providing safety and confidence, people are now starting to go back to more regular holiday and social activities,” Zahra said.
Additionally, 63 percent of Australias are planning to travel within their own state, 34 percent will be going interstate, and three percent overseas.
As New Zealand prepares to open borders to its first international tourists, Australians are being invited into the island country again.
Trans-Tasman travellers have historically made up 40 percent of New Zealand’s international arrivals, with around 1.5 million Australians visiting each year.
