Step aside New Zealand. Aussie travellers have long been fans of the land of sheep, Hobbits and the haka. But for the very first time, NZ has lost bragging rights as Australia’s top spot for overseas holidays. Clinching the crown was Indonesia, which makes total sense given its status as our closest and largest neighbour, not to mention our unending love affair with Bali.
This is the first time on record that New Zealand has been replaced as the top destination for short-term overseas trips by Australians since the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) began collecting travel records almost 50 years ago. The number of Aussies boarding a plane to the land of the long white cloud rocketed from 216,000 in 1983 to 1.26 million in 2023. Meanwhile, Indonesia, which ranked as the sixth most popular hotspot for Aussies in 1983, jumped from 81,300 travellers to a record-breaking 1.37 million in 2023.
Of those headed North, 86 per cent were jet-setting for an Indonesian getaway and 7 per cent were visiting family and friends. It was a different story for those headed East, with only 43 per cent travelling to New Zealand for a holiday and 38 per cent swinging by to catch up with mates and relatives.
On the flip side, Australia welcomed 1.27 million Kiwi travellers, making up almost 20 per cent of our international visitors for short-term trips. Following closely were our steadfast supporters from the USA (0.66 million visitors) and the UK (0.6 million visitors).
You can see the top ten travel destinations for Aussies over the last 40 years on the ABS’s Instagram here or read the full list for 2023 here:
- Indonesia
- New Zealand
- USA
- UK
- Japan
- Thailand
- India
- Fiji
- Vietnam
- Singapore