Amsterdam,
08
July
2020
|
06:16
Europe/Amsterdam

Booking.com reveals the top travel dreams of Australia in waiting

  • New Zealand still lower down on the list of Aussie’s international wish lists despite signs of the trans-Tasman travel bubble opening in June
  • Focus of travel dreams shifts closer to home with increased presence of domestic properties featuring in travel ‘wish lists’ created on Booking.com compared to last year*
  • The United States of America, United Kingdom and Italy still among top ten wish-listed countries, showing Australians are not deterred from countries worst affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Travel might be on hold in these extraordinary times, but new data from Booking.com reveals that this has not stopped Aussies from dreaming about its possibilities. Delving into the thousands of local travel wish lists created by hopeful travellers on its platform over the last two months, Booking.com shares some of the top destinations and properties on Aussies’ minds as restrictions ease in each state.

Since Australian Coronavirus restrictions began in March, the top wish-listed destinations for Aussies are still traditional favourites of Bali, Indonesia, United States of America, United Kingdom, and Italy, highlighting that locals aren’t deterred from travelling to the country’s worst affected by the pandemic.

Interestingly, New Zealand only placed at #7 on wish lists, posing the question whether Aussies will reconsider their dream destination if the ‘trans-Tasman bubble’ opens potentially as early as June.

Top 10 AU international country destinations wish listed

  1. Indonesia
  2. United States of America
  3. Thailand
  4. United Kingdom
  5. Japan
  6. New Zealand
  7. Italy
  8. Greece
  9. Vietnam
  10. France

While international destinations like Bali, London and Tokyo continue to inspire travel dreams for people across the country, it’s actually domestic stays that feature in over half (49%) of all those wish listed by Aussies during this time of uncertainty, a jump from the same time last year when domestic properties

accounted for less than a third (28%) of those wish listed.

Closer to home, the top domestic destinations wish-listed by Australians included main centres such Melbourne, Sydney, The Gold Coast, Brisbane and Perth, suggesting that travel for business and staycations are at the forefront of travel imaginations.

Outside of the state capitals though, the wish list data showed that Aussies are eager to support their regional tourism hotspots including Cairns, Byron Bay and Port Douglas.

Top AU local destinations (excluding state capitals) wish listed:

  1. Gold Coast
  2. Cairns
  3. Byron Bay
  4. Port Douglas
  5. Noosa Heads
  6. Airlie Beach
  7. Newcastle
  8. Mooloolaba
  9. Coffs Harbour
  10. Port Macquarie

Top AU overall local destinations wish listed:

  1. Melbourne
  2. Sydney
  3. Gold Coast
  4. Brisbane
  5. Perth
  6. Adelaide
  7. Cairns
  8. Byron Bay
  9. Port Douglas
  10. Canberra

Some of the top wish-listed accommodations to stay in Australia include Imagine Marco (Melbourne), Q1 Resort & Spa (Gold Coast) and Rhapsody Resort (Gold Coast).

Dreaming about a change in scenery and the opportunity to enjoy a stay experience outside of their own home, the most wish-listed type of places to stay for Australians is hotels, followed by aparthotels and apartments. Aparthotels account for 15% of all properties wish listed by Australians over the last two months, noticeably higher than the global average of 5%.

Luke Wilson, Area Manager for Australia at Booking.com, said: “These are extraordinary and challenging times in which safety remains the top priority. We also know that in such times, dreaming about experiencing the world again has immense power to fire our imaginations and keep spirits high.

It’s not surprising to see the major centres topping wish lists for travel even during lockdown restrictions and we’ve seen this more obvious trend in some of the data trends released earlier this week. Promising appetite for regional tourist hubs and gateway destinations such as the Gold Coast, Cairns and Byron Bay all indicate that Aussie families are still eager to get away for the upcoming June long weekend and further out to the next school holidays.

Coastal and country regional destinations that have been severely impacted by Coronavirus directly following a devastating bushfire season need local tourists more than ever. It’s positive to see that Tourism Australia’s ‘Live from Aus’ has helped build confidence in local travel as we’ve seen with our

customers as they start planning their next domestic trip. Wish listing can be an inspirational way for everyone to start dreaming about travel again, and we are committed to making it easy for them to turn those dreams into reality when the time is right.”

A wish list is a collection of ‘liked’ properties that customers can create on Booking.com. Customers are encouraged to save accommodations to a wish list by clicking the heart button that can be found alongside every property listing on the Booking.com platform.

*Methodology: based on comparing wish list data on Booking.com between March and April 2020 to the same months in 2019. Customers on Booking.com can wish list properties by clicking the ‘heart’ button present on every property’s listing on the platform.

Notes to Editors

Booking.com Aussie Wish List Fact Sheet

Top AU local destinations (excluding state capitals) wish-listed:

  1. Gold Coast
  2. Cairns
  3. Byron Bay
  4. Port Douglas
  5. Noosa Heads
  6. Airlie Beach
  7. Newcastle
  8. Mooloolaba
  9. Coffs Harbour
  10. Port Macquarie

Top AU overall local destinations wish-listed:

  1. Melbourne
  2. Sydney
  3. Gold Coast
  4. Brisbane
  5. Perth
  6. Adelaide
  7. Cairns
  8. Byron Bay
  9. Port Douglas
  10. Canberra

Top NZ local destinations wish-listed:

  1. Auckland
  2. Queenstown
  3. Wellington
  4. Rotorua
  5. Christchurch
  6. Taupo
  7. Paihia
  8. Hamilton
  9. Dunedin
  10. Napier

Wish listers per country

  • Australia was #13 in terms of travelers wish-listing properties globally vs New Zealand at #45

Top 10 AU international regional destinations wish listed

  1. Seminyak
  2. London
  3. Ubud
  4. Tokyo
  5. Paris
  6. Queenstown
  7. Canggu
  8. Bangkok
  9. New York
  10. Kuta

Top 10 NZ international regional destinations wish-listed

  1. Gold Coast
  2. Melbourne
  3. Sydney
  4. Seminyak
  5. Ubud
  6. London
  7. Rarotonga
  8. Tokyo
  9. Bangkok
  10. Singapore

Top 10 AU international country destinations wish listed

  1. Indonesia
  2. United States of America
  3. Thailand
  4. United Kingdom
  5. Japan
  6. New Zealand
  7. Italy
  8. Greece
  9. Vietnam
  10. France

Top 10 NZ international country destinations wish listed

  1. New Zealand
  2. Australia
  3. Indonesia
  4. United States of America
  5. Thailand
  6. United Kingdom
  7. Japan
  8. Italy
  9. Greece
  10. Vietnam
  • Australia ranks at #1 for Kiwis outside of their own backyard when travel resumes where as New Zealand ranks at #7 for Aussies. Bali, Indonesia still proves to be the top spot for Aussies wanting to holiday abroad.

Top AU accommodation types wish listed:

  1. Hotel
  2. ApartHotel
  3. Apartment
  4. Resort
  5. Holiday home

Top NZ accommodation types wish listed:

  1. Hotel
  2. Apartment
  3. Motel
  4. ApartHotel
  5. Resort

Domestic wish-list share

  • The share of Australians wish-listing went up 21% on the same period in 2019 from 28% to 49%
  • The share of Kiwi wish-listing went up 20% on the same period in 2019 from 25% to 45%