How to avoid the $138m mistake Aussie travellers keep making
Aussie travellers have forked out $138 million in avoidable international transaction fees over the last year, new research has revealed.
A report by ING found holiday-makers dedicated a hefty 20 per cent of their travel budgets to food and dining purchases – an average of $1,477 per traveller.
Of that, $82.28 in transaction could have been saved.
'Our new research shows Aussies are increasingly prioritising food and dining experiences when they travel,' ING's head of daily banking Dina Kotsopoulos said.
'We encourage Aussies to confirm with their banks what fees they might be subject to while on holiday, ahead of time, so they can fully enjoy their global foodadventures without unexpected costs.'
Ms Kotsopoulos encouraged those looking to travel internationally to plan ahead, check their bank's fees on overseas purchasing and consider their options to avoid incurring avoidable charges before they leave.
The research also found that more travellers are prioritising memorable culinary experiences when holidaying, with 88 per cent of respondents willing to cut back on other aspects of travel, such as shopping and activities, to make room for a good meal.
In March this year, Australia's number one cooking resource taste.com.au surveyed more than 2350 Australians from all cultural backgrounds on their food habits for their Taste the World report.
It found Millennials were the most domestically adventurous demographic, with 13 per cent of those aged between 29 and 44 expressing a willingness to travel to a different state or region within Australia to try a particular cuisine.
In the last year, a collective $12bn has been spent on overseas culinary experiences alone.
Japan remains the biggest hotspot for Aussie travellers, with a 60 per cent uptick in visitors compared to pre-Covid levels.
The Asian destination is closely followed by New Zealand, with Queenstown seeing a 14 per cent increase, and Bali with a 27 per cent hike since 2019.
India, China and South Korea are also rising in popularity, according to MasterCard's 2025 Travel Trends Report.
Consumers are increasingly investing more in experiences, naming travel and tourism, outdoor activities and dining as their top three priorities this year.
The top foodie destination was Turkey, with its median restaurant in Istanbul hosting tourists from 67 different countries.
This was closely followed by France and Switzerland, each hosting a median of 64 tourist countries each.
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Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
How to avoid the $138m mistake Aussie travellers keep making
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. Aussie travellers have forked out $138 million in avoidable international transaction fees over the last year, new research has revealed. A report by ING found holiday-makers dedicated a hefty 20 per cent of their travel budgets to food and dining purchases – an average of $1,477 per traveller. Of that, $82.28 in transaction could have been saved. 'Our new research shows Aussies are increasingly prioritising food and dining experiences when they travel,' ING's head of daily banking Dina Kotsopoulos said. A collective $12bn has been spent by Aussies on overseas dining. Picture: iStock 'We encourage Aussies to confirm with their banks what fees they might be subject to while on holiday, ahead of time, so they can fully enjoy their global foodadventures without unexpected costs.' Ms Kotsopoulos encouraged those looking to travel internationally to plan ahead, check their bank's fees on overseas purchasing and consider their options to avoid incurring avoidable charges before they leave. THE TOP FIVE CUISINES AUSSIES WANT TO MASTER AT HOME The research also found that more travellers are prioritising memorable culinary experiences when holidaying, with 88 per cent of respondents willing to cut back on other aspects of travel, such as shopping and activities, to make room for a good meal. Dina Kotsopoulos, Head of Daily Banking at ING, encouraged Aussies to check with their banks what fees they might be subject to when travelling. Picture: Supplied In March this year, Australia's number one cooking resource surveyed more than 2350 Australians from all cultural backgrounds on their food habits for their Taste the World report. It found Millennials were the most domestically adventurous demographic, with 13 per cent of those aged between 29 and 44 expressing a willingness to travel to a different state or region within Australia to try a particular cuisine. In the last year, a collective $12bn has been spent on overseas culinary experiences alone. Japan remains the biggest hotspot for Aussie travellers, with a 60 per cent uptick in visitors compared to pre-Covid levels. The Asian destination is closely followed by New Zealand, with Queenstown seeing a 14 per cent increase, and Bali with a 27 per cent hike since 2019. India, China and South Korea are also rising in popularity, according to MasterCard's 2025 Travel Trends Report. Consumers are increasingly investing more in experiences, naming travel and tourism, outdoor activities and dining as their top three priorities this year. The top foodie destination was Turkey, with its median restaurant in Istanbul hosting tourists from 67 different countries. This was closely followed by France and Switzerland, each hosting a median of 64 tourist countries each. Originally published as How to avoid the $138m mistake Aussie travellers keep making
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Embarrassing' Sydney roundabout leaves drivers in a mess
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Cafe owner wins latest battle against Coogee Diggers
A small-business owner who claimed the beer taps to her restaurant were cut off has won the latest round in her fight with management of a popular eastern suburbs club. Cece Cafe/Restaurant owner Tina Plessas was granted a three-month extension to orders allowing her to keep trading in the Coogee Diggers Club by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) on Friday afternoon. Ms Plessas had claimed club management had turned off the beer taps and cut access to her to electronic banking in a bid to 'forcibly evict' her last month. 'It's a small but meaningful victory for my staff, my customers and me until September,' a delighted Ms Plessas told after the ruling. 'It certainly gives this small business operator the relief and time I very much needed. Now back to work.' The parties will enter into mediation in a month. Ms Plessas is not the only tenant battling the community club for her right to trade within the building. A childcare centre which has leased space within the club for a decade is also engaged in litigation with the club alleging the childcare operator is responsible for 'millions' in damages to the historic 1930s building. Only About Children (OAC) childcare centre confirmed the litigation when contacted by 'Only About Children is currently working to resolve a landowner dispute in relation to its Carr Street campus in Coogee. As the matter is before the court, we are not in a position to comment further at this time,' a spokeswoman said. OAC sought to assure customers the dispute did not impact its quality of care offered to clients. The dispute heads to the Supreme Court in August. According to sources with knowledge of the dispute the matter relates to historic drainage issues. OAC childcare occupies a large indoor/outdoor area on the top level of the Carr Street building that was previously a redundant bowling green. Sources familiar with the litigation said the Diggers club is suing OAC for property damage which it alleges was caused by run off or drainage obstruction caused by the childcare centre. OAC is said to have already handed over a six-figure sum, in the ballpark of $100,000-$120,000, to the club to mitigate damages. Unsatisfied with that outcome, the community club's executive is pushing on with litigation and pursuing its tenant for millions of dollars. A close source said the Diggers club is pursuing the childcare centre for between $2 million and $3 million and alleges parts of the 95-year-old coastal building have concrete cancer that can be partially attributed to the childcare centre. Long-term members believe there are other more significant contributing factors including an indoor pool. OAC has 20 years to run on its lease. Coogee Diggers management refused to address questions specific to the childcare centre litigation when put them during the week. The club's six-person board also refused to answer questions. In a statement lawyers for the club said: 'Our focus remains on serving our members and continuing to invest in the long-term future of the club. We will not be drawn into a media campaign that seeks to undermine this commitment or discredit the club's leadership.' The club's boss is CEO Peter Gallagher on whose watch the Diggers has been partially transformed, via a $6 million to $8 million renovation, from its humble 1930s depression era clubhouse roots with support services for returned servicemen and women into a quasi commercial gym, albeit one with a tucked away old-style bistro, bar with poker machines. Despite the expensive facelift, the question for some RSL veterans is whether the community club remains true to its origins and as a family friendly centre. There is also the question of whether Mr Gallagher's privately shared personal vision, to create an up-market fitness and party precinct, reflects that of the broader local community. Having changed its constitution, the club is no longer affiliated with the local Coogee-Randwick-Clovelly RSL sub-branch. Critics point out that aside from offering a room in which the RSL sub-branch can hold the occasional meeting, plus a discount on gym memberships to local-only sub-branch members, the Diggers offer no services to retired war veterans. This, despite there being many young Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans living in the area. As one veteran pointed out, one doesn't have to look further than the Coogee Diggers' manifesto, published on its website, to see how far the club has drifted from its RSL roots. 'Think about this – If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery-isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire,' the manifesto states. Concerning its strategic direction a lawyer speaking on behalf of the club's CEO said: 'Coogee Diggers has operated under its Registered Club licence for over 90 years and has no intention of altering this status.' Recruited as CEO in 2019, Mr Gallagher is an enigmatic character who prides himself on being a transformation agent. Originally from Victoria, the openly gay CEO, said to be in his late forties, lives in a splendid Federation home in Woollahra, one which he's understood to be painstakingly renovating on his $200,000 annual Diggers' club salary plus 'commission' bonuses. Mr Gallagher appears to have edited his social media presence since put questions to him earlier this month about his business dispute with the club's tenant, hospitality manager Tina Plessas of Cece's restaurant. He deleted both his LinkedIn and Facebook accounts within days of this reporter contacting him for comment. The LinkedIn account had recorded part of his professional history including his time working for PCYC NSW and St Vincent de Paul. Mr Gallagher also had a term at Coogee Diggers in 2006 and 2007. A period working at Bentley RSL in Victoria around 2008 was omitted. During his current term at the Diggers Club, Mr Gallagher has polarised staff with his assertive management style. Following recent articles concerning Ms Plessas's contract dispute with Coogee Diggers club, five former ex-employees spoke to about disputes with the club. One former employee who managed the Diggers' gym centre claimed staff from different departments were told not to speak with board directors or each other, and that they were constantly monitored by surveillance cameras. On one occasion she claims she was questioned about a casual conversation she had with a club board director. 'All staff were forbidden from talking to board members,' the former employee, who asked to be known as Ann, said. 'We were told not to talk about what was going on within the broader business. The gym staff weren't to talk to the swimming centre staff weren't to talk to the bar staff. That's how (the club) operated.' In response to questions about these allegations, the club said: 'As with all licensed venues, Coogee Diggers operates CCTV for safety and compliance purposes only. The club strictly adheres to all relevant governance and privacy obligations.' Ann claimed Mr Gallagher made it clear he planned to transform the club into 'the ultimate destination for a party and recovery cycle' by growing the club's gym membership and creating a 'Justin Hemmes' style restaurant/bar with a party scene out the back'. Despite at one time being one of Mr Gallagher's most trusted lieutenants, Ann was sacked by him in 2023. She said the CEO told her she was fired for allegedly breaching compliance standards by employing gym staff who didn't possess Working with Children credentials. Ann maintains Mr Gallagher signed off on the recruitment of those employees personally and with full knowledge of their noncompliance. 'He advised me to tell them to apply for their Working with Children permit after they got the job,' she said. A bonus payment promised earlier in her tenure was subsequently revoked, with the club claiming Ann's role as gym manager was never formalised. Another staff member who successfully took Coogee Diggers to Fair Work winning an unfair dismissal payout – and apology – from the CEO, was former gaming and bar supervisor, Rita. A full-time employee of five years, Rita was made redundant in 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic. Rita had oversight of the poker machines, TAB and bar and said she felt compelled to speak with treatment of club patrons. 'He never said hello to them. It seemed he didn't like the patrons, particularly the ones who came in every day,' she told Three other former club employees who spoke to described their concerns with the club. One former fitness centre manager described how he said he felt pressured to resign. Two staff who worked in the swimming centre described feeling 'unsupported' working for Coogee Diggers. 'I was left with morbid anxiety and depression. I felt diminished,' one employee said. 'I would receive calls after working hours and be yelled at over the phone.'
