'Fly overseas! Why on earth would we do that?'
It seems that, for those who weren’t already persuaded of the joys of the grey nomad lifestyle, recent falls in the value of the Aussie dollar have been enough to push them over the line and onto the open road.
New research has shown a major resurgence in occupancy at caravan parks and camping grounds.
“The lower Australian dollar has had a marked effect on interstate holiday travel, which continues to reach record levels – up by 9% to reach a record 10.7 million trips,” said a Tourism Research Australia spokesman. “This is the largest number of interstate holiday trips since the National Visitor Survey commenced in 1998.”
Non-commercial caravan and camping grounds also saw a big increase in nights – up 22% to 17.5 million.
The strong growth also coincided with cheaper petrol prices and a tightening in airline capacity that pushed domestic airfares up higher.
The research showed that, in the year to June, Australians made 88.9 million overnight trips within their own state or territory or to another state. Three-quarters of those trips were made by car, up 7.2% on the previous 12-months.
Destinations such as Darwin have been big beneficiaries of the trend, with the Northern Territory capital enjoying a 36% surge in visitors, and a 28% cent climb in spending.
Tourist numbers were up 30.5% cent in Queensland’s Whitsundays, and Canberra, enjoyed 17% more interest from domestic travellers.
Mark Manteit from Australian Tourist Park Management told news.com.au that ‘changing expectations’ had led to a resurgence in holiday parks … and it wasn’t just grey nomads in their caravans or motorhomes that were swelling the camping ranks.
“Luxury camping or glamping has been a fun option for couples for some time but we are now seeing families embracing this style of holiday,” said Mr Manteit. “Time poor Mums and Dads often want easier alternatives to towing a caravan or pitching a tent.”
