Regional dispersal is low

REGIONAL dispersal is shallow for all international and domestic visitors to Australia, with Asian markets less likely to head into regional destinations, a new report from Tourism Research Australia has revealed.

The report, The Beach, Bush and Beyond: Understanding Regional Dispersal of Australian Tourists delves into travel behaviour, patterns, trends and sentiment in an effort to better understand motivations for, and barriers to, regional dispersal.

Friends and relatives were found to be a key motivator, with domestic travellers often going to great lengths to reconnect with friends and relatives around the country, while international travellers said their main reason for travelling to regional Australia was a chance to spend quality time with friends and relatives.

A desire for nature-based experiences was identified as having the potential to be a key driver of regional visitation, with nature-based offerings found to be the second top reason for regional visitation, followed by bucket-list holidays.

One-in-10 domestic and international travellers who had not visited regional Australia in the past two years said they had not done so simply because they prefer to visit capital cities, calling out the shopping and dining experiences available as key motivators, as well as the ease of getting there.

Not knowing enough about regional Australia was also identified as a top barrier for international travellers.

The report called out three recommendations for encouraging regional travel, with the first to focus on showing visitors the extensive range of activities, accom, attractions, dining options, and unique experiences of regional Australia.

It also advised demystifying the time and distance of regional destinations and helping travellers “put the pieces of the journey together” during their decision-making process by developing tailored itineraries for different traveller types.

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