Kiwis are renowned the world over for their diligence and work ethic but recent research conducted on behalf of Air New Zealand suggests that we don't take enough holidays and feel guilty when we do.
According to psychologist John Aiken our overall wellbeing will suffer if we don't do something to change our behaviour. Aiken has been working with Air New Zealand's leisure holiday business, now rebranded as Air New Zealand Holidays, to warn New Zealanders about the dangers of not taking time out.
Air New Zealand Holidays is designed to provide customers with totally flexible and integrated leisure holidays online, over the phone and at a retail stores, meeting the holiday needs of customers on price, convenience, range and expertise.
Research findings reinforced that kiwis need to be excited and inspired to travel more as they tend to be martyrs when taking time off.
Auckland-based Aiken agrees and says many New Zealanders are not taking time out to recharge their batteries, or view holidays as a luxury that can only be taken if earned through hard work and achievement.
"New Zealanders can have a tendency to compare themselves with others and feel bad about taking time off," says Aiken. "This can result in them overloading themselves with jobs, chores, responsibilities and commitments that to them must come before anything else.
"Holidays create a balance in your life which contributes to your overall sense of wellbeing and prevents you from becoming overwhelmed by your day-to-day responsibilities."
Air New Zealand Group General Manager Norm Thompson says Air New Zealand Holidays aim to inspire New Zealanders to make the most of their holidays and help them design the perfect holiday for their individual needs.
"By aligning our holiday products across three core channels, call, click or visit, we want to create as many opportunities as we can to encourage travellers of all ages to "Just Imagine…" their dream holiday anywhere in the world."
"Deciding to take a holiday is the first step, but choosing the right experience and activity to ensure you get the most out of it are just as important."
Based on a sample of 2.7 million New Zealand adults, each person makes an average of 5.1 domestic trips more than 200km from their home via flights and/or car travel per year but only 1.3 of these trips are likely to include a holiday component. Overall, the average person spends just under 20 nights away from home per year (including time spent travelling for work).
When asked what their top priorities are in life, research respondents said the top three are paying off a mortgage (35%), saving to buy a house (26%) and helping friends/family financially (26%). Only 16% of respondents wanted to travel more overseas and even fewer (11%) wanted to travel more in New Zealand.
The research also revealed most New Zealanders take between two and four weeks holiday per year and spend a significant proportion of that time at home.
"Our research suggests that New Zealanders are reluctant to take time off or leave home when they do, many citing higher priorities in life," says Thompson. "This is different from what we've observed internationally, for example Europeans generally don't share the same opinion and are renowned for taking advantage of all their holiday time and making the most of it."
"Our staff have a fantastic knowledge of where to go and what to see around New Zealand and the world. Air New Zealand Holidays allows us to share our expertise and hopefully inspire more New Zealanders to make the holiday of their dreams a reality.
"Our tools include our Air New Zealand Holidays planners in store or on call and the amazing new experience gallery on our website which uses sensory stimuli to help you figure out the best places for you to visit."
Aiken is a strong supporter of anything that encourages New Zealanders to have more lifestyle balance and reduce stress levels.
"The more we raise awareness of how important holidays are, the greater we can influence and increase our overall sense of wellbeing," says Aiken.
To make your holiday dream a reality, contact Air New Zealand Holidays on
0800 737 000, visit airnewzealand.co.nz or visit your local Air New Zealand Holidays store.
ENDS
Issued by Air New Zealand Public Affairs
* Research Solutions 'Need For Travel' research, Oct-Nov 2005
NOTE: The content of all Air New Zealand media releases are accurate at the time of issue, as stated at the top of each release. For updates on any changes, please contact Air New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award, Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 19,500 daily flights to 1,071 airports in 171 countries.
For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com.
