Easter holiday hunts closer to home as fuel prices bite
Duncan Murray |
Aussies could be forced to spend a basket-full this Easter long weekend, with rising fuel prices prompting many to stay closer to home.
But during such uncertain times, connection with others and small indulgences could trump cost-of-living anxieties.
More than 40 per cent of Australians had already cancelled or scaled back their Easter travel plans during the fuel crisis, data from the Tourism and Transport Forum for late March showed.
Cutting back on travel was natural as rising fuel costs directly hit the hip pocket, said Amanda Craft, from Western Sydney University Business School.
But rather than abandon Easter plans entirely, many will simply look less further afield, she says.
“Easter holidays have been planned probably months in advance, they coincide with school holidays, and people see their families,” Dr Craft told AAP.
“It’s not something people are going to want to give up completely, but they’re going to try to minimise the costs as much as possible.”
Aussies are on average actually set to spend more this Easter than in previous years.
The 56 per cent of Australians who said they will spend money this Easter, on average will fork out $2019 – compared to $1556 the year before, research by consumer group Finder showed.
Travel makes up the bulk of that expected spend at $1488, compared to $1005 the previous Easter – while anticipated spending on chocolate is slightly less than last year, at $62 in 2026 compared to $68 previously.
While inflation and rising travel costs likely explain much of the increase, Bond University consumer behaviour expert Belinda Barton says there could be more to the story.
“It’s somewhat confusing when you’re in a circumstance like we are at the moment where we’ve got war, we’ve got inflation and we’ve got cost of living,” she told AAP.
Dr Barton said people may be prioritising community and family over other anxieties that would otherwise lead them to tighten the belt.
“So when you’ve got things like war and a lot of doom and gloom out there, people tend to prioritise living in present, which may contradict feelings of anxiety around the cost of living,” she told AAP.
But prioritising family and enjoyment doesn’t have to mean spending big, with financial planning academic Michelle Cull from Western Sydney University urging a more “old-fashioned” approach.
She pointed to Australia’s many great free public facilities and outdoor areas.
“Picnics are great if you’re getting together with extended family – maybe you even have games and things you could set up,” she told AAP.
“The old egg and spoon, for example, or the three-legged race. These things don’t cost anything and can actually be quite a lot of fun.”
Foodbank chief executive Kylea Tink urged those anxious about putting food on the table this Easter to reach out, even if they think there are others more in need.
“Services like Foodbank are here to help make sure people don’t have to be brought to their knees to be able to continue to do what they want to do within their family,” she told AAP.
AAP