Anxiety over overseas travel keeps us holidaying at home

The international travel dream has been reignited by border openings but most Australians are choosing to holiday at home.

Airbnb properties are reaping the benefits of the domestic travel boom, with all the traditional holiday hot spots heavily booked.

Australians are dreaming of international travel but are booking holidays at home because of ­worries about how difficult it will be to go abroad.

In trends reflected by most flight and travel booking sites, international destinations are dominating online searches, with Delhi, Fiji, London, Los Angeles and Singapore top of the list.

Skyscanner data shows that for the first time in three years, the top five most-searched for destinations are all overseas, but in most instances those searches do not translate to bookings.

Delhi was the top destination for bookings and searches, with Sydney and Melbourne also heavily booked despite ranking well down the list of clicks.

Flight Centre is seeing domestic travel command the lion’s share of bookings, at 90 per cent compared to 10 per cent for international.

The figures are much more evenly split in terms of travel searches, with 57 per cent of visitors to the Flight Centre site ­exploring domestic holiday options and 43 per cent viewing overseas destinations.

Of those, Fiji was the clear frontrunner, ahead of the US and Indonesia, while flights to Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast were the most likely to be booked.

A Skyscanner spokesman said its research revealed there was a big appetite for heading abroad, but seven in 10 Australia felt discouraged by the difficulty of international travel.

As well as digital Covid vaccination certificates, visitors to most countries were expected to fill out extra forms or download specific apps, and in many cases produce evidence of negative Covid tests.

Then there was the question of Covid infection, with Singapore recently introducing laws requiring any visitors hospitalised with the virus to cover all of their own medical expenses.

Travellers trawling Wotif and Expedia sites were checking out Fiji, Los Angeles, Singapore and Hawaii, and then booking the Gold Coast and NSW north coast.

Wotif managing director Daniel Finch said as borders opened, Aussies had more travel options, but it was clear domestic travel was preferred for summer.

 

“After spending months at home or in a familiar setting, our recent research confirms over half of Aussies (54 per cent) are looking for new and different experiences,” he said.

“Popular coastal destinations like the Gold and Sunshine coasts and the north and south coast of NSW remain favourites among Aussie travellers over summer. However, the trends also show that compared to previous years, inland destinations are proving popular, with interest doubling for destinations such as Mildura, Yarra Valley and Wangaratta in Victoria.”

Airbnb bookings support the Wotif findings, with plenty of ­interest in the traditional hot spots, but also an appetite for ­lesser-known locations.

“In Victoria, areas like Rye, Apollo Bay and Bright are good examples while in NSW there’s enthusiasm for places like Lennox Head and Nelson Bay,” Airbnb country manager Susan Wheeldon said.

Qantas bookings reflected the interest in Delhi, London and LA, and, closer to home, Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

A Qantas spokeswoman said the launch of flights from Sydney to Delhi next month had triggered the fastest booking surge on an international route since the airline announced its international restart plans in August.

Originally published as Anxiety over overseas travel keeps us holidaying at home