Spread the love
Post Views: 0

Skyscanner, the global travel search company, has released a list of the prime 10 family holiday destinations – based on price, proximity and a formula that includes average spend in destination, safety, family-friendly attractions and healthcare access/quality – and has exposed the main apprehensions which deter Australians from taking a family holiday. 

Skyscanner is a Scotland-based travel fare aggregator website and travel metasearch engine. Since November 2016 the website has been owned by Ctrip, the largest travel company in China. Ctrip also owns Trip.com, which recently launched in Australia: See: Trip.com arrives – with 24-hour service and no booking fees

While Skyscanner’s Travel Trends Report recently revealed that more than a third (40%) of Australians travelled with their families in 2018, it finds that travelling with children remains a huge apprehension for many parents.

CoreData’s Family Travel Survey revealed that “affordability” was the overwhelming barrier to travel, while being “time poor” (41%) and “security/safety concerns” (16%) were other key apprehensions for Australian families.

More than a quarter (28%) of respondents said they find the family travel planning process “somewhat” or “very” difficult, suggesting that more help can be given to parents to help them feel prepared for their trip.

Skyscanner says it has prepared a formula to uncover the best destinations for Aussie families to consider for their first trip together. Based on a combination of the key apprehensions that parents have – including flight cost, cost in destination, flight duration, safety in the destination, access to quality healthcare and the amount of family friendly attractions – Skyscanner has put together a list of destinations preferred by Aussie families and ranked them on all these practical considerations. 

SKYSCANNER’S TOP 10 DESTINATIONS FOR FAMILY TRAVEL

 
RANK DESTINATION AVERAGE AIRFARE FOR FAMILY ($AUD)* SKYSCANNER POINT INDEX**
1 Gold Coast, Australia $688 28
2 Sydney, Australia $601 25
3 Melbourne, Australia $596 24
4 Nadi, Fiji $2,443 21
5 Auckland, New Zealand $1,329 21
6 Cairns, Australia $1,392 21
7 Bali, Indonesia $2,944 18
8 Singapore, Singapore $3,713 18
9 Tokyo, Japan $3,996 18
10 Phuket, Thailand $2,970 16

The Family Travel Survey also revealed that eight in 10 (86.8%) Aussie parents are downsizing their travel aspirations and are letting their budget dictate the destination.

However, Skyscanner’s Index revealed that destinations such as Phuket, Thailand and Bali, Indonesia rank highly when considering daily spend on everyday items and experiences.

So, while the costs for flights to these overseas destinations are often more expensive than domestic trips, the average daily spend is actually significantly cheaper, so families may wish to consider the overall cost of a holiday when planning and not just base it on airfares.

For families willing to travel long-haul, Skyscanner has also revealed three destinations that ranked well on the list:

  1. Los Angeles, USA
  2. London, UK
  3. Honolulu, Hawaii

Finally, a tip. Skyscanner advises that the 100ml liquid restrictions on aircraft don’t apply to items for babies such as baby food and water, breast milk and formula.

Edited by Peter Needham