Kiwis big spenders when travelling overseas | infonews.co.nz New Zealand News

With an average spend of US$5,588, Kiwis have the largest travel budgets compared with other countries in Asia Pacific - according to the Travel Smart Survey 1 commissioned by Visa.The survey, comprising of 2,226 people from 11 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, found that New Zealand travellers spent 80 percent more than the regional average of US$3,107 on their last international trip, with more than a quarter (28 percent) of Kiwis saying they spent above US$7,000.

The second highest spenders were respondents from Australia who said they spent US$5,258. Almost half (45 percent) of all respondents say they used payment cards 2 as their primary payment method when abroad. The research also found that from airfare and hotel bills to duty free shopping, using payment cards is popular as a way to settle holiday expenses 3 .

Business travellers are more likely to use cards when travelling (59 percent) than leisure travellers (41 percent), according to the survey, with business travellers from Korea (83 percent), New Zealand (69 percent) and Singapore (63 percent) most likely to take advantage of the benefits of using electronic payment cards overseas. Sean Preston, Country Manager Visa New Zealand, says a key reason that 45 percent of respondents said they prefer to use payment cards was that it helped to minimise personal risk. “Using payment cards is a particularly useful tool for travellers as every transaction is recorded and they are not carrying large wads of cash.

For business travellers, cards help them to track, itemise and claim business expenses more easily once they get back home. 1 Survey interviewed departing or arriving visitors/transit passengers (aged 18 years and above, trip length was at least 48 hours) at Singapore Changi Airport on spending habits during their last international trip. A total of 2,226 respondents were interviewed from Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Fieldwork was conducted from 26 September to 15November 2008. 2 Cards include personal credit card, corporate credit card, debit card, ATM/bank card or prepaid card 3 Based on traveler’s current trip

“Whether it is for settling the hotel or dinner bill, buying gifts or for withdrawing cash from ATMs, travelling with a card rather than a wallet full of cash is the safer way to manage your money while overseas,” he says.The divide between the sexes was another interesting find with men (49 percent) more likely to use cards to pay for purchases overseas than women (39 percent). Average amount spent on last international trip Amount (US$) NewZealand 5,588 Australia5,258 India3,732 China3,249 Korea2,945 Malaysia2,653 Taiwan2,435 Singapore2,332

Japan2,141

Hong Kong2,123

Thailand1,850

Survey Average

3,107

Source: Travel Smart Survey 2008 ###

About Visa: Visa operates the world’s largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries and territories