Drive tourism is set to boom with the number of ‘Grey Nomads’ to double by 2050.
Fuelled by Australia’s increasing ageing population it’s set to provide an economic boom to those businesses and communities who can benefit and provide the right services. A 2010 survey on Grey Nomads found they spend, on average, between $60 and $120 per night.
So who are the Grey Nomads? Well, officially they are those over 65 years of age who have embarked on an open road adventure around Australia, taking with them anything from a full blown motorhome to camper trailers or tents. Often they’re taking out a car loan to achieve their dream.
The age of the Grey Nomad is getting younger with Wikipedia quoting them as ‘someone who is 55 or older’…a bit worrying for those who just turned 50 and are having a mid-life crisis!
Drive tourism has become an important part of the tourism industry, nowhere as much as in Queensland where it accounts for approximately 70% of the overnight leisure market in the state. This has led the Queensland Government to work with the tourism industry to develop initiatives supporting drive tourism in Queensland. The aim is to increase the number of tourists embarking on self-drive journeys along with the length of their journeys and both the time they spend in particular places and the amount of money they spend.
The ‘Drive Tourism’ initiative will lead to great benefits for the motorist with improved tourism signage, better overnight stops and ensuring the availability of affordable accommodation.
Australia has an amazingly varied network of routes for the Grey Nomad, and indeed any traveller, from the remote plains of the outback to rainforest and coastal routes,
Queensland alone has some fantastic tourism routes for the drive enthusiast with inspiring names reflecting the history and landscape of the lands they traverse.
The Overlander’s Way
The Overlander’s Way allows travellers to follow in the footsteps of pioneers on a 1550km driving adventure across the breadth of Queensland and into the Northern Territory, linking the wonders of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef to the rugged Aussie Outback. It follows the paths of our droving heroes who brought vast herds of live cattle from the east Kimberley to the Queensland east coast. The route, which later served as an important supply line during World War II, starts at Townsville and takes in the Outback towns of Charters Towers, Hughenden, Richmond, Julia Creek, Cloncurry, Mount Isa and Camooweal on the Queensland-Northern Territory border and Tennant Creek.
Savannah Way
The Savannah Way is described as Australia’s adventure drive, crossing three states linking Cairns in Tropical North Queensland with the historic pearling town of Broome in Western Australia’s Kimberley, via the natural wonders of Australia’s tropical savannahs and the Northern Territory’s Top End.
The 3700km route links fifteen National Parks and five World Heritage areas. Travellers can explore just a section or cross the continent enjoying its wide horizons, ancient gorges and abundant wildlife, connecting with Aboriginal and pioneer heritage in today’s friendly Outback.
Whether you’re a short term traveller or a Grey Nomad adventurer, there’s plenty to explore in the vast wonderland of the ‘lucky’ country.
Talk to the team at Aussie Car Loans to get started on your next driving holiday.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiagopereira/256025940/sizes/m/in/photostream/