Adrenaline-Charged Holiday Escapes
It’s official – we are a nation of outdoor adventure seekers.
New research commissioned by Ski and Ride New Zealand on Australians’ holiday preferences reveals 77% of Aussies prefer getaways where they can be outdoors, with more than two in five (44%) more likely to forgo a metro city break in favour of activity-filled holidays including skiing and snowboarding.
Why are droves of Australians flocking to these outdoor getaways? The study reveals almost all of us (96%) place importance on a holiday where we can relieve stress and forget about our worries, with Gen Y feeling this most. Living by the ‘you only live once’ motto, young Aussies are most likely to enjoy a holiday with a choice of snow, sports, activities and adventure as they offer experience like no other, with 62% motivated by embracing unique experiences like a thrill-seeking snow getaway.
Ski and Ride New Zealand’s research indicates that almost a third of tech-connected millennials have a desire to unplug and disconnect when they’re on holiday. Four in five (79%) of the younger generation enjoy a holiday where they are uncontactable for at least part of the time. Almost half (47%) of Gen Y admit they spend too much time online when on beach and city breaks, with an increasing amount (16%) choosing an adrenaline-charged break, such as skiing and snowboarding, over any other type of getaway.
Generation Y, the group which has been steeped in technology and social media from an early age, is looking for a proper ‘escape’ when on holiday, with the desire to unplug completely (31%) an important motive in flocking to adventure escapes. When on holiday, millennials are seeking relief from worries through natural adrenaline rushes, with 45% citing this as why they’re heading to action packed getaways.
Adventure tourism expert Professor Ralf Buckley from Griffith University says these rush-giving activities such as extreme sports, skiing and snowboarding are increasingly popular and actually addictive. “The stress relief associated with this addiction proves beneficial for wellbeing, so it’s a good addiction,” he says.
Almost two in five (37%) of Gen Y snow goers have a self-confessed addiction to adventure sports, heading to the slopes to get their adrenaline fix. With a strong dedication to the snow, a quarter (26%) of Gen Y would even give up their job to embark on a snow adventure escape. 74% of Gen Y snow-goers go so far as to claim they are ‘snow addicts’ – identifiable by the obsessive ways and the extreme lengths they go to hit the slopes.
These snow addict symptoms are displayed in ‘Snow Addicts’: a comedic video featuring snow addicted sporting champions including free-ski legend, Janina Kuzma. They’ve chosen to get their fix at the most popular international snow destination for Aussie snow enthusiasts, New Zealand’s Southern Alps. In fact, 34% of snow goers are more likely to choose the New Zealand slopes over destinations like the USA, Canada and Europe.
Ski and Ride New Zealand spokesperson Sarah O’Donnell says, “Queenstown and Wanaka are home to four beautiful ski resorts – Cardrona, Treble Cone, The Remarkables and Coronet Peak – and we’re calling Aussie adrenaline addicts to jump on the three hour flight to Queenstown airport and get their fix in the Southern Alps this season.”
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