Coromandel, Queensland & breakfast take gold
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Travelbug's Brad Monaghan said Coromandel was top of the "must visit" list for New Zealanders this summer and collected 18 per cent of the vote. "Water, sunshine and space are all coveted during the hotter months, and Coromandel has this in spades with dozens of beachy spots to choose from. Northland came in second with 14 per cent of the vote, and Nelson/Tasman took bronze with 12 per cent."
He said although Coromandel was the favoured destination for most North Islanders, it was not number one everywhere. "People aged over 60 preferred Northland, along with those from Auckland and Northland. Mainlanders kept it local too, with Nelson/Tasman their top spot."
When asked which region of Australia held the most appeal, the Sunshine State blitzed the field. "The Kiwi love affair with the sun, theme parks and sand of Queensland continues unabated – it was the runaway winner with more than 40 per cent of respondents keen to head there for their next short break. It was interesting to see a big influence here was the chance to visit friends and family."
Bells and whistles
Mr Monaghan said Kiwis were more likely to be swayed by food, parking or a late check-out when booking accommodation online. "More than 60 per cent of survey respondents wanted breakfast and a spot for the people-mover included with their room, and more than half were keen for a sleep-in."
Dinner (26%) and internet (38%) were seen as less enticing, with chocolates (5%) and a bottle of bubbly (9%) a long way back.
The biggest influencer on choosing accommodation was price. "Looking at the price tag remains the most dominant factor for 49 per cent of people when deciding where to stay. However hotel location, images of the property, and anecdotal evidence from other travellers were all regarded as pretty important too."
Other findings
- People from the big smoke (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) prefer breakfast as an add-on, while those from smaller centres (Northland, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, and Bay of Plenty) prefer parking
- People under 30 are most likely to book a hotel this summer; people over 50 are keenest on motels; and people with kids will be hitting the holiday parks
- 36% of people always read online reviews before booking; 55% do if the reviews are easy to spot; and 9% don't read them at all
- And for the heavy hitting question, people prefer peppermint chocolates on their pillows over plain chocolates, but only just: 52% vs 48%
Golden quotes
There were a number of free text fields in the survey and some of the responses were surprisingly revealing, as set out below:
What was the reason for your last accommodation booking?
- "Taking overseas guests around our beautiful country"
- "Kicked out of home and nowhere else to turn"
- "Husband had a course to further his career, his work ain't contributing"
- "Mouse in my bedroom at home"
- "Visit relative in prison"
What room add-ons do you want most?
- "Multiple sports channels"
- "I just go with what's happening"
- "The peppermint choccies need to be DARK choc"
"A reasonable mattress, most are so hard in NZ"
Key findings: in detail
Where in NZ would you most like to spend your summer break?
Rank Region Vote (%)
1. Coromandel 18.4
2. Northland 14.3
3. Nelson/Tasman 12.1
4. Bay of Plenty 8.6
5= Central Otago/Wanaka 6.3
5= Queenstown 6.3
Which Australian state would you most like to spend a long weekend in?
Rank State Vote (%)
1. Queensland 43.5
2. Victoria 22.5
3. New South Wales 19.9
4. Western Australia 8.5
5. Tasmania 7.6
What add-ons do you like with your room?
Rank Item Vote (%)
1. Breakfast 68
2. Parking 63
3. Late check-out 51
4. Internet 38
5. Dinner 26
