Australians are most likely to go for a holiday close to home, says recent research, but there’s a new destination on the rise that attracting them out from their home states.
Booking.com analysed booking data from 2018 and found that Aussie travellers were most likely to travel to the capital city of their home state, except Tasmania and ACT residents, who hit up Sydney and Melbourne respectively for their domestic trips.
As for that destination that’s attracting more travellers each year, it’s Mackay, Queensland.
Mackay is the ideal spot to launch your Whitsunday exploration. The town has abundant food, shopping and attractions, with fantastic craft beer, wine and cocktail bars dotted amongst restaurants with all manner of influences. And just out of town, along the road to Finch Hatton, you’ll find the best Italian restaurant in the land (in my opinion), Church Café Pinnacle.
Accommodation is cheap and plentiful. The beaches are beautiful, the water is warm and blue and the nearby national parks are simply jaw-dropping. And the best part is, you can start your Whitsundays road trip at Mackay and end up at the third most popular spot on the list – Airlie Beach.
Wedged between these two Queensland destinations is another: Rockhampton. Rocky’s Capricorn Caves and Mount Etna Caves, botanic gardens, national parks, heritage villages, galleries and museums are drawing crowds from all over the nation.
Internationally, South East Asia dominated the ratings, not only taking out top spot, but also four of the top ten most booked destinations are in the same region.
Singapore was deemed the most popular overseas destination for Aussie travellers, topping London for the second year in a row.
Tokyo displaced Auckland from third, and Seminyak (Bali) pipped in at number five.
There’s also a shift in the type of accommodation being sought after by Aussies, with holiday rentals and unique stays creeping up on hotel and more traditional accommodation bookings.
Read more at Travel Talk
Have you been to Mackay? Or how about any of the other in the top three?
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