No wonder ‘couples holidays’ are big business.
Last year, almost 13 million Australians aged 14+ took at least one holiday. When asked who they mainly travelled with on their last trip, nearly a third (32%, or 4,126,000 people) reported going with their partner.
No wonder ‘couples holidays’ are big business in the tourism industry. But do couples actually behave any differently than anyone else when they’re on holiday? Well, yes, as a matter of fact.
According to the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research, people who take a holiday with their significant other are more likely than the average Australian holiday-goer to visit historical sites, go to museums and art galleries, go bushwalking, play poker machines, dine out at restaurants and go to the theatre — and that’s just for starters.
Among the activities that they are less likely to do on holiday, go to the movies, arts festivals or cultural events, visit a zoo or theme park, or go swimming or surfing.
Holiday activities: |
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| Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), January–December 2014 (n=10,440). |
The fact that the majority (59%) of Australian couples who took a holiday together last year were aged 50 and older suggests that many would be empty-nesters taking advantage of their newfound freedom from parental responsibility to hit the road.
(On the other hand, Australians from younger age groups comprise the majority of people who holiday as a family with children, with other family or family and friends, alone, with a friend or small group of friends, and with a school/university group.)
