Wellington, Sep 27 (IANS): New Zealanders have been increasing their expenditure on luxury travel, with average spend on travel bookings currently 35 per cent higher than in 2019, or pre-Covid pandemic, a survey revealed on Wednesday.

The average Kiwis' spending on their dream holidays in August is up 47 percent year on year, with bookings made up of a combination of flights, tours and cruises, according to the survey conducted by Flight Centre, one of the world's largest travel agency groups headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.

Ashleigh Teixeira, head of operations of Flight Centre's Travel Associates New Zealand, said many of these large bookings came from those between the age of 50-69,reports Xinhua news agency.

"These travelers may be empty nesters who've managed to pay the mortgage and suddenly find themselves with more cash to play with and free time on their hands to travel," Teixeira said, adding the largest booking so far this year equated to NZ$232,257 ($138,108) for a small group.

The most expensive bookings are often those going on around the world cruises, visiting sometimes 50-plus countries.

On top of that, they want to go on private guided tours where they can skip the lines and go off the beaten track, according to the survey.

Other popular destinations for the luxury market include Britain, Italy, Netherlands, as well as Japan and Singapore, Teixeira said.

North America is also sought-after, she said, adding Canada is popular with travelers opting to go on ski holidays or sightseeing tours around the Rocky Mountains.