Tent sites up to $71, hostel-style accommodation up to $143: travellers feel the pinch this holiday season

Tent sites in caravan parks are costing up to $71 a night amid soaring prices for low-cost accommodation.

Holidaymakers in Coffs Harbour face prices of up to $71 for an unpowered tent site. Picture: Trevor Veale / Coffs Coast Advocate

The soaring costs of holidaying in Australia, fuelled by a sharp spike in budget accommodation prices, have smashed consumers on the eve of the federal election.

Tent sites of up to $71 a night at caravan parks and hostel-style ­accommodation climbing up to $143 a night are among price rises faced by millions of Australian holidaymakers.

Data from Tourism Research Australia shows that the average overnight spending of a domestic traveller on a holiday in 2024 was $326, up from pre-pandemic levels when Australians spent an average of $218.

With the cost of a breakfast in a country cafe already high, traditionally low-cost options in popular tourist destinations are adding pain to already cash-strapped consumers.

A tent site in a caravan park in Coffs Harbour costs as much as $71 a night, with an extra $10 to ­access a powered site.

On the West Australian holiday destination of Rottnest Island, a campsite during peak season costs upwards of $50 a night for “an unshaded communal space”.

Hostel-style accommodation there is booked up until late-April at $143 a night.

More travellers than ever are heading to caravan parks and camping grounds as the number of caravan registrations continues to grow.

In 2023, Australians took 15.3 million caravan and camping trips, spending $14.3bn.

In some of Australia’s affluent getaway spots, prices can also be difficult to navigate.

On Tuesday morning, a one-bedroom holiday shack on Airbnb in Portsea, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, was available on a weekday for $264 a night – with an added $100 cleaning fee and $30 a day in taxes.

The cost rises to $385 a night for peak periods and weekends, however.

“The cost of travelling has increased globally since the pandemic, leaving journey-makers to prioritise the trips that are most important, whether this is travelling to visit family, taking a break from work, or exploring travel deals as they pop up,” said Tourism & Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond.

“However, as a nation, Aus­tralia prioritises travel. Despite the cost of living still tightening ­Aussie’s wallets, most of the country plans to travel over the summer season, exploring both overseas and our own backyard.”

She said a nationally representative study the forum conducted in November 2024 found older Australians were being more frugal with holiday spending, with 47 per cent of travellers older than 65 intending to spend less than $2000 on their summer ­holiday.

“To keep the travel bug alive, Aussies are looking to more cost-effective ways to adventure and still enjoy hard-earned time off,” Ms Osmond said.

“Budget-friendly travel options include frequent weekend trips over longer vacations, buying holiday and cruise packages when they’re on sale, and looking into more budget-friendly accommodation such as caravan parks.”

On the Seven Network on Tuesday morning, Anthony Albanese spoke about the cost of living and the Coalition’s claim that Australians would struggle with the pressures until 2030.

“I tell you what, the cost of living would have been worse were they in government, because they’ve opposed every single cost-of-living measure, whether it was energy price relief, cheaper medicines, cheaper childcare and the tax cuts for every single taxpayer,” the Prime Minister said.

“We’ve looked for ways to address cost of living, to address those pressures that are on families, whilst putting downward pressure on inflation and getting inflation with a two in front of it – it is something that has been ­important.”

Opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor has said Australians faced “the steepest decline in living standards on record … Not only is this completely unprecedented in our history, it’s unparalleled anywhere else in the world.”

“The new year offers no relief under this failing government. The Treasurer’s own data proves Australia cannot afford another three years of Labor,” he said.