The international cities we’re flocking to in 2023
Experts are predicting the return of the city escape with bookings to the world’s cultural capitals well and truly on the rise.
We’ve heard of revenge travel and tentative travel, but as we round off the year with the threat of yet another holiday season sidelined by Covid, what could possibly be in store for 2023?
According to research conducted by booking aggregator Expedia, travellers are ditching low-risk intrastate holidays for the throng of the world’s busiest capital cities, including the ones in our own backyard.
Based on demand from 2021 to 2023, Expedia identified 10 global cities that have emerged as the fastest growing travel destinations, a far cry from the slow-paced regional alternatives we’ve come to know so well. As of September 2022, Edinburgh has been identified as a trending hub based on traveller interest and bookings, followed by Lisbon, Tokyo, Dublin, and New York. Sydney took out the sixth spot, thanks to a roster of cultural events including the upcoming WorldPride celebration and the South by Southwest festival, both due to take place in March next year.
“Based on traveller demand, most of the destinations seeing the largest increases are all cities where art and culture festivities are getting back to full swing,” said Daniel Finch, senior director at Expedia.
“In 2023, travellers across the world are ready to check out the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, plan a trip to World Pride in Sydney or bask in the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, which is so exciting to see.”
The same report showed accommodation interest in New York increased by 70 per cent over the past six months and, coinciding with its recent reopening, Tokyo experienced a 200 per cent rise in bookings.
Similarly, more than half of Australian travellers said they were looking to book accommodation on home soil, with 60 per cent planning to stay in a city hotel next year.
Finch said the rise in local tourism is a result of the new suite of luxury hotels popping up around the country, like the recently opened Ace Hotel Sydney and the highly anticipated Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne, due to be completed next year. Adding to the trend, research conducted by travel operator Wotif indicated that over a third of local travellers were looking to indulge in the five-star services available at the hotels.
“Whether it’s a romantic weekend away to celebrate a special occasion, a weekend of shopping or purely to take advantage of hotel facilities, Aussies are rediscovering just how good a city hotel stay can be,” he said.
Finch said it was promising to see Australians ready to start holidaying again, which “speaks volumes about how much confidence Aussie’s now have when travelling”.