This was published 9 years ago
Everyone knows Australians love to travel, but a new study has found that we're not the biggest travellers in the world and that we still prefer domestic trips to international ones.
A new survey by business consulting firm Timetric has found that northern Europeans are the world's biggest travellers, with four Nordic countries all in the top five. US travellers were also in the top five, but their travels were dominated by domestic trips. Norwegians were the biggest international travellers, taking an average of two international trips per year.
Several factors were found to explain why people from Nordic countries travel so much. These included relatively high incomes and low unemployment, as well as the high cost of living in these countries - which makes travelling to a cheaper foreign destination an attractive proposition. Escape the tough winter climate was also cited as a reason many Scandanvians and Finns will head abroad.
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According to the results, the world's top 10 biggest travellers are:
1. Finland
Finland is the most well-travelled country in the world, with the average Finn making 7.5 trips a year, including stays at home and abroad.
2. United States
The US has the largest domestic travel market in the world, with national holidays bumping up the average person's number of trips to 6.7 a year. However, international travel is very limited, with only 1 out of 5 Americans going abroad in 2013. Fewer than half of Americans own a passport.
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3. Sweden
According to the Timetric survey, Scandinavia is the world's most travelled region. On average, Swedes take 1.5 outbound trips and 4.4 domestic trips a year.
4. Denmark
Mnay Scandinavian families own a second home in the country. In Denmark, around 1 out of 6 families own a second home, resulting in an average of 3.9 domestic trips a year and 5.3 total trips.
5. Norway
All of the Scandinavian countries are in the top 5 most travelled countries, with the total number of trips per year in Norway averaging at 5.2.
Arnie van Groesen, Timetric travel and tourism analyst said: "People in Scandinavia can afford more trips due to high incomes and relatively low unemployment rates. The cost of living is relatively expensive in Scandinavian countries, meaning that if they go abroad they'll often get more value for money."
6 (equal). Hong Kong
Hong Kong is the sixth most well-travelled country in the world. Although domestic tourism is almost non-existent (0.03), the average Hongkongese takes 4.3 outbound trips a year.
6 (equal). New Zealand
On average, New Zealanders make 4.3 total trips a year, the same as the Hongkongese. However, the ratios are in reverse. New Zealanders make less outbound trips (0.5) while the number of domestic trips is higher (3.8).
8. Canada
According to the Timetric survey, Canadians make 1 outbound trip and 3.2 domestic trips a year, on average.
9. Australia
In a similar trend to New Zealand, we make considerably more domestic trips (3.4) than outbound trips (0.4).
10. France
Perhaps due to the diverse nature of the country, offering everything from skiing in the Alps to relaxation in the countryside, the French make 3.1 domestic trips compared to 0.4 outbound trips.
with The Telegraph, London
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