Australian destinations see more domestic visitors as local dollar weakens

Australian holiday-makers are turning their backs on their favourite exotic destinations. But just where are they going instead?

With the exquisite beauty of places such as Wineglass Bay, the temptation is to stay on Aussie shoes.

Australian holiday-makers are turning to their own backyards as the Aussie dollar weakens. A Tourism and Transport Forum survey found 5 per cent of travellers had switched from an international to domestic destination because of the currency’s fall — it recently hit a 10-year low of 67.15 cents against the US dollar, 10 cents down on the previous year.

Another 15 per cent of people surveyed expected to travel more domestically in the future because of the uncertainty.

Tourism Research Australia figures show domestic overnight tourism has increased 7 per cent, with spend up 10 per cent to $70.3 billion. And it’s not just Aussies making the most of the weaker dollar — international visitors are expected to rise in 2019, after a 6 per cent increase last year.

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Melissa Spinner, senior consultant for Helloworld Travel in Caroline Springs and Watergardens in Victoria, says Australian travellers are becoming savvier with how they spend their money.

“The dollar makes a difference — people are starting to realise we have such a beautiful back yard here in Australia — remote places they haven’t experienced before and they want to see the hidden gems that Australia has on offer,” Melissa says.

“Once you felt you had to get on a plane and fly over oceans — now people are saying let’s jump in a car and go somewhere, like we did back in the 60s.”

She says Tasmania, Perth and the Northern Territory were growing in popularity with domestic visitors. “Whether you go to Perth and the beautiful beaches, or trek in the Northern Territory up to Darwin — even snowboarding in Mt Bulla — there’s so much to see here, and as people become more cautious with their money, it’s definitely becoming more popular.”

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Just two hours from Darwin, Kakadu is a popular destination for travellers. Picture: Tourism NT

AAT Kings and Inspiring Journeys managing director Hans Belle says this year Aussies are expected to book the local trip they had always wanted to do, but had been putting off. “Australians will take advantage of the bucket-list destinations in our back yard, discovering the magic of Uluru, hiking in Kings Canyon, taking a river cruise through Katherine Gorge or exploring the wonders of the Bungle Bungles,” he says.

The NT is the most popular destination across the AAT Kings portfolio of short breaks and guided holidays, while domestic visits to Tasmania are up 11 per cent — the strongest results countrywide.

Trafalgar has introduced an Australia and New Zealand program into 2019, to meet increasing demand.

“Australia has so much incredible diversity and beauty from rich history, some of the best beaches, extraordinary wildlife and a fantastic food and wine scene,” Trafalgar managing director Matthew Cameron-Smith says.

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“We’re giving our loyal guests another continent to experience the real ease, true connections and pure joy of Trafalgar — we’ve definitely seen demand for it.”

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan says there will be continued focus within the industry to reach 2020 goals of growing overnight visitor expenditure to more than $115 billion. “We really do have it all — rainforest, reef, the Outback, stunning beaches, vibrant cities, great food and wine and, of course, the world’s oldest continuous living culture,” he says. “While our focus is on the international inbound market, domestic travel remains so vital to Australian tourism.”

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Originally published as Australian destinations see more domestic visitors as local dollar weakens