Press Office

Americans dream of seeing New Zealand – but in reality most only make it as far as Florida, according to a recent online Omnibus survey conducted nationwide for MasterCard Advisors Global Cardholder Services.

The survey of more than 1,100 U.S. adults on their ideal holiday destinations found that almost two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they dreamed of visiting New Zealand or Australia in the next 12 months.  However, when it actually came to booking a holiday, few actually venture outside the country, with only one percent planning to head overseas during that period. By contrast, some 69% of those queried said they planned to visit Florida in the same period.

Hitting the beach and other warm-weather activities were the top choice of 29% of those questioned, easily out-polling other pastimes such as camping, visiting a spa or playing golf. The preference for sun and surf was shared across all ages, income levels, genders and regions, the survey found. Child-friendly destinations were the second choice (12%) of those surveyed, while historical/cultural destinations came in a close third (10%).

"While we weren't surprised that sun and beach vacations were the overall winner, we were intrigued to note that Florida was the No. 1 destination in every demographic, even with other sunny spots such as the Caribbean nearby," said Alice Droogan, vice president, Global Cardholder Services, MasterCard Advisors.

• Hawaii was the top dream vacation destination for Generation X (age 30-41) and Y (age 18-29) respondents (72% for each demographic group).
• Surprisingly, a greater number of women (9%) actually preferred camping than did men (7%), while men showed a preference for exotic locales (11% compared to 4% for women) and golf (4% of men, 1% of women).
• Some 45% of Generation X'ers and 49% of Generation Y'ers fantasize about going on an African safari.

A Top Concern For Travellers: Loss of Credit Card
Major worries among the would-be travellers polled were the loss of their credit cards or travel documents, and getting sick. Twenty-six percent of respondents were more concerned about losing their credit cards, travel documents (25%) or getting sick (24%) as compared with losing luggage (15%) or getting into an accident or otherwise damaging a rental car (10%).

Wherever travellers do decide to go, MasterCard Global ServiceTM is available day or night to alleviate their top concern. "If your MasterCard card is lost or stolen, you can cancel the card with one quick, toll-free call to MasterCard Global Service and also receive a temporary card within two business days almost anywhere in the world," explains Droogan. "If you are in need of a cash advance, MasterCard will also work with your card issuer to obtain one."

New Zealand cardholders who are travelling in the U.S. can contact their bank or call MasterCard Global Service at 1-800-MASTERCARD for assistance. The number to call in Australia is 1800-120-113, or they can call collect from anywhere 1-636 722 7111.

A complete list of the 80 toll-free numbers travelling cardholders can call to obtain emergency card-related services worldwide is available at www.mastercard.com. "People travelling should be relaxing and enjoying themselves, not worrying about travel issues," said Droogan. "By realizing that there may be travel and retail benefits on their MasterCard cards, people can save time and money, while having peace of mind to enjoy the vacation sights and spend time with friends and family."