Why Australians are ditching Down Under and travelling overseas on Australia Day

THE high cost of local travel is driving Aussies to spend the national day in Hawaii, Bali and Singapore instead of Australia.

IT'S meant to be a day to celebrate all that's good about being an Aussie, but it seems most of us would prefer to spend Australia Day lying on a beach overseas.

While Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Sydney continue to lead the pack as the places most Aussies head for the long weekend, overseas destinations are fast catching up.

Rounding out the top 10 destinations this year for Australia Day travellers are Honolulu, Kuta, Singapore, Patong, Kuala Lumpur, Legian and Seminyak, booking data from hotel price comparison site HotelsCombined shows.

They replace Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, which all fell out of the top 10 list of most popular Australia Day destinations in 2014.

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Other popular international destinations this Australia Day include Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai and New York.

Regional destinations including Margaret River, Townsville, Hervey Bay, Newcastle and Coffs Harbour also dropped out of the top 100.

"Overall, we don't find these results all that surprising," HotelsCombined global PR and content manager Kristen McKenzie said.

"Our data has consistently shown that domestic travel within Australia has progressively been decreasing over the years, so it's not unusual for us to see that, even on Australia Day, the bulk of Australians are flocking to overseas destinations."

Top 10 Australia Day destinations 2014:

1. Melbourne (up from No.3 in 2013)

2. Gold Coast (No.2)

3. Sydney (down from No.1)

4. Honolulu (up from No.6)

5. Kuta (up from No.11)

6. Singapore (down from No.4)

7. Patong (up from No.10)

8. Kuala Lumpur (up from No.12)

9. Legian (up from No.14)

10. Seminyak (up from No.17)

The results signal a wider move towards international, rather than domestic trips to celebrate our national day.

"Even taking into consideration the time and cost involved with travelling further distances, Australians are finding overseas destinations to offer more value than domestic locations.

"South East Asian destinations such as Thailand and Bali have consistently remained popular spots for Aussies thanks to the bulk of value-friendly, all-inclusive hotel deals they offer.

"In contrast, enjoying a high-end all-inclusive Australian hotel experience is a considerably more expensive affair ... When you look at it that way, it's not hard to see why Australians are continually heading abroad for holidays."

Most expensive places in Australia to spend Australia Day

• The most expensive Australian destination for Australia Day this year is the Great Barrier Reef with an average nightly rate of $314.11.

• In second place is Byron Bay at an average nightly rate of $294.41.

• In third place is Noosa Heads with an average nightly rate of $267.89.

Cheapest places in Australia to spend Australia Day

• The least expensive Australian destination for Australia Day this year is Darwin with an average nightly rate of $126.95.

• In second place is Albury with an average nightly rate of $142.62.

• Tied for third-least expensive are Brisbane and Launceston at an average nightly rate of $143.

Tourism & Events Queensland chief executive Leanne Coddington urged Australians to holiday at home.

"You should be celebrating what we have to offer," she said.

"Queensland's range of destinations are quintessential examples of everything Australia has to offer."

However, it is not all bad news for local destinations this Australia Day.

Experts attribute the continuing popularity of Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Sydney to their mix of major events, big city vibe and outdoor attractions.

And while a city like Brisbane may have slipped down the list of places we are heading to on our national day - down all the way from ninth to 21st - the average amount we spend on our stay has actually increased - from $568.04 in 2013 to $795.66 this year.

Ms Coddington said that while numbers may indeed be down on Australia Day, the Queensland capital has had a strong summer, with the arrival of the Barmy Army for the Ashes in November marking the start of a series of major events.

She said the Brisbane International tennis tournament had achieved a record crowd of 105,730 across eight days, convention traffic remained strong and the number of tourists visiting Brisbane's Scenic Rim had jumped 13 per cent year-on-year.

"Our anecdotal evidence continues to suggest Brisbane continues to be a significant destination," she said.

"It's not just Brisbane, but the surrounds also - we're getting good feedback.

Ms Coddington said this reflected a broader sense in the industry that people were once again rediscovering Australian destinations following a surge in international travel driven by a high dollar and a buoyant economy.

"Our trends are showing that people are enjoying domestic holidays," she said.