Cheap Airfares Give Rise to Impulse Travel

ONE in four Australians who've taken or booked an overseas trip this year, did so on impulse, according to full service travel agency, travel.com.au.

Travel.com.au General Manager – Brand, Lisa Ferrari said the finding came from a survey that asked 250 customers whether they'd been planning to travel overseas in 2009, and if not, what had caused their change of mind.

"Twenty-five percent of respondents said they'd made an impulse decision to travel as a result of cheaper than expected international airfares."

Ferrari said: "Fares have hit a historic low and they're unlikely to return to these levels once the economy recovers."

"Subsequently 2009 has been a great year for opportunistic travellers, rewarding those people who remained flexible with the choice of destination and their travel dates."

Ferrari added that the booking habits of Aussies travellers had differed greatly to those of previous years.

"In 2008 we saw travellers booking their travel four to six months prior to departure. In contrast, this year travellers are booking two to three months before they leave," Ferrari said.

"Travellers who weren't planning on travelling this year and considered moving their plans forward have really benefited on the impulse choice to travel."

Top 5 impulse destinations on travel.com.au
1. London
2. Bangkok
3. Los Angeles
4. Hong Kong
5. Fiji

ABOUT TRAVEL.COM.AU
Travel.com.au was established in September 1997 and is a one-stop-shop travel agency. Offering international and domestic flights, holiday packages, hotel accommodation, travel insurance and car hire, we also cater for travellers who are interested in ski, cruise, corporate, family and adventure travel.
We offer online and offline services. Our online service allows you to control your travel plans while our offline service allows our customers to seek professional and personalised advice from our Travel Experts. At travel.com.au we provide convenience, choice and value for money with any travel product purchased. With over 75, 000 airfares to more than 118 countries and a choice of 70 international and domestic airlines, travel.com.au is the essential tool for travellers. Booking fees may apply to products purchased on travel.com.au.