Tribewanted: 'So ... where are all the Aussies?' by Adam Carter

So ... where are all the Aussies?

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By Atama, NSW, Australia Posted 02 Jun 2008

I was reading a recent article about the traveling habits of young Australians, and there was one question that crossed my mind – Why do we have such a proportionately low number of Aussie tribe members? It seems this research would indicate that the goals of Tribewanted are essentially identical to the list of priorities that Australian travelers look at when booking a holiday. Here’s an extract from the article:

The survey also revealed young Australians are jet-setting with a conscience, with social and green issues hot on their radars.

Experiencing local customs was the top priority for 96 per cent of travellers, while 87 per cent were committed to supporting the local economy of the countries they visit.

On top of that, 84 per cent believe it’s important to use local resources sparingly and 81 per cent feel it’s important to avoid having a negative social or environmental impact on the places they visit.

“This study reveals the importance that young travellers place on having authentic cultural experiences and their interest in minimising any adverse social or environmental impact of their travels,” said Ms Marshall.

“The green movement is broader than simply carbon offsetting for young Australians. The research shows their concerns go beyond only consideration for their eco footprints, it is the shades of green that rate as the most important, understanding, appreciating and having a positive impact on the places visited, all the while keeping their eye on their carbon footprints.”

Food for thought. So, how do we find these people?

Comments

By Hannah Sinclair, Wellington, New Zealand Posted Jun 2, 2008 10:45pm

We talked about this on the island. It is so much cheaper to travel to Fiji from Oz and NZ so where are all the Aussies and Kiwis?

Jale’s opinion was that going to a tropical island is not really all that appealing to most Australians as they already live in a tropical climate (well sort of!). I lived in Oz for five years and all the tourism advertising is about going to other parts of Australia, so most Aussies I talked to seemed to say “it’s all right here – why would I want to go anywhere else?”. Most of the people I worked with went to Bali or Vietnam and Cambodia for their holidays.

New Zealanders are in a different boat, though. It is freezing cold here in winter and the idea of a tropical climate was a major factor in my decision to travel to Fiji.

Since I’ve come back from Vorovoro, the people who have been most interested in my trip are people I go to yoga with – so-called ‘alternative lifestylers’.

Instead of targeting backpackers hostels with advertising, maybe we need to target yoga or martial arts classes to get these people? Am willing to help hand out fliers…