Travel Trends

With Australia Day around the corner, leading online travel site Wotif.com has today revealed the winners of the inaugural Wotif Australian Town of the Year awards. In the true Aussie spirit of giving everyone a fair go, the awards unearth the ‘must-see’ local towns across the nation in 2018.

With half of all Australians (49%) looking to make their next trip a local one and two thirds of us seeing domestic travel as a way to reinvest in the local economy**,the awards, based on a Wotif pricing and demand index*, call out the local hotspots which should be on every Aussie bucket list this year.

So, who took out Australia’s number one place in 2018?

In the lead up to Australia Day, where we come together to celebrate all things Aussie, leading online travel site Wotif.com have searched far and wide and put the vote to the people of this great nation to name the top towns to try some unique experiences you can only find in Australia.

Whether you’re a foodie who enjoys a humble meat pie or cheeky glass of award winning Shiraz, or a nature lover looking to experience everything our great southern land has to show, Australia offers travellers an abundance of experiences. This Australia Day, Wotif.com wanted to look beyond the well-known hotspots, to call out the towns that make Australia great.

1.     Top Wine Region: Margaret River, WA

·       Two thirds of us see a holiday in Australia as an opportunity to reinvest in the local economy and support regional or rural communities

·       Over half of us opt for destinations which allow us to pursue passions – food topping the list!

·       Over a quarter of us take a trip to learn more about ourselves

·       96% of Australians feel recharged after a holiday, yet their post-holiday recharge feeling only lasts an average of 3.2 days

·       Taking a mini-break in spring revealed as the optimal time to recharge the batteries

·       Over two thirds of Australian workers experience greater tolerance in the workplace after a holiday

·    Aussie interest in Ho Chi Minh City doubles (195%)

·    Families seek cool respite with demand for Mount Buller up 45%

·    Queensland remains Australia’s favourite home-away-from-home

SYDNEY, 19 June 2017: While Queensland’s pristine beaches remain the most popular mid-year holiday choice, this year’s Wotif.com July school holidays data reveals Aussie families are beginning to buck the trend, with Australian ski fields in for a bumper season, and an increased interest in warmer climates overseas.  

6 April, 2017: With the Easter long weekend around the corner, leading online travel site Wotif.com has revealed the most in demand Queensland holiday destinations, with the Gold Coast taking out number one spot at both state and national levels.

The most in demand Queensland regional Easter long weekend destinations*, according to Wotif.com are:

1.     Gold Coast (#1 nationally)

2.     Sunshine Coast (#2 nationally)

3.     Cairns (#4 nationally)

4.     The Whitsundays (#5 nationally)

5.     Port Douglas

*Full national list can be found below.

Sydney, 6 April, 2017: With the Easter long weekend around the corner, leading online travel site Wotif.com has revealed the ten most popular New South Wales holiday destinations, with the Central Coast claiming the number one spot in the state and nabbing the sixth position nationally.   

According to Wotif.com the most in demand New South Wales Easter long weekend destinations, ex capital cities*, are:

1.     Central Coast (#6 nationally)

2.     Byron Bay (#7 nationally)

3.     Wollongong (#8 nationally)

4.     Hunter Valley (#9 nationally)

5.     Newcastle

6.     Blue Mountains

• Potential savings of up to 35% by skipping the hot spots for quieter rivals  
• Wotif reveals Easter picks under $200 a night, three hours or less from the city

Sydney, 29 March, 2017: With Easter around the corner, leading online travel site Wotif.com has predicted the 10 best value destinations from $200 a night, within approximately three-hour drive of major capital cities, proving it’s not too late to ‘hop to it’ and enjoy an affordable getaway close to home this long weekend.

Wotif.com has crunched the numbers, analysing the predicted average daily rate over the four-day weekend, with the figures revealing Aussies can save up to 35%, just by staying at a quieter spot within some of our most in demand regions*.

• Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns  the top national destinations for the Australia Day weekend
• Hamilton Island is the number one domestic destination Aussies want to visit in 2017
• Cairns is the number one beach town Aussies want to visit in 2017
• The Daintree Rainforest is the number two National Park Aussies want to visit in 2017  

Monday, 23 January 2017: With Australia Day upon us, leading online travel site Wotif.com has counted down the nation’s hottest destinations, revealing Queensland beach and tropical destinations are the most in demand spots for the ‘long weekend’, which is a trend predicted to continue into 2017.

The ‘hottest’ Australia Day long weekend regional destinations¹

·       Flights to local travel experiences up to 400% cheaper than their international counterparts

·       90% of Aussies say if the price was roughly the same, they would go to a few destinations rather than just one

·       Only 12% of Aussies have visited every state and territory in Australia

SYDNEY, Monday, 23 January 2017: With Australia Day around the corner, leading online travel site Wotif.com has conducted research which aims to highlight travel experiences in our own backyard and calls on Aussies to make 2017 the year to see more of the land down under.