Exploring the Motivations of Asian Working Holiday Makers Travelling to Australia

The Australian Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program provides a unique opportunity for Asian youths to have an extended overseas experience. Although the program has existed for more than 40 years, the number of Asian youths participating in the program has increased considerably since the early 2000s. Asian WHMs now represent a sizeable proportion of the Australian WHM market; however, they have received limited research attention from tourism scholars. In fact, their motivations for coming to Australia have not been well researched. To address this shortcoming, this study presents an analysis of six focus groups of Asian WHMs from the three major Asian source markets: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Employing the push-pull framework, four push factors (improving English, overseas travel/living experience, earning money and escape from routine) and four pull factors (visa arrangement, English-speaking country, positive perception of Australia and job opportunities) were identified and the underlying reasons for each motivational factor were explored. The findings of this study extend the current understanding of Asian WHMs in Australia, a growing cohort within the WHM program. In accordance with the exploratory nature of this study, future research opportunities are also discussed.