According to the December Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment survey, it appears most Australians will stay at home for Christmas, but those who intend to travel, no surprise, will be heading overseas.
The so-called “staycation” option outweighs travelling by 69% to 31% – but in context, the latter stat has been slipping, with 38% travellng in 2008.
The survey makes it clear that the high AUD is making an overseas travel choice easier for most Australians, with the proportion of travellers going overseas the highest measured. It’s also evident that the local tourism industry can’t get locals to spend either – this is not just high AUD, but high cost of living, mostly because of land and house prices.
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