The curtains have closed on yet another summer holiday (for most), which means it’s time to lock in your next annual leave. If you haven’t started planning, there’s a high chance your colleagues have beaten you to it. According to Webjet, domestic bookings for flights around Australia skyrocketed by 106 per cent in the week following Boxing Day. Whether you’re keen to hang with the crowds or squeeze in a last-minute sunny getaway, the travel website has just revealed the most popular destinations for the remainder of summer in Australia and beyond.
In the week after Boxing Day, a whopping 87 per cent of travel bookings made by Aussies were scheduled for January. The top travel destinations for the rest of summer were Australia’s biggest capital cities, with Melbourne taking the top spot – 19 per cent of flights booked were heading to the home of the Australian Open, F1 Grand Prix, Women's Ashes test and Yayoi Kusama exhibition. Sydney ranked as the second hottest destination for domestic travel in January, with 16 per cent of flights heading into the Harbour City.
The Sunshine State claimed more top-ten entries than any other in Australia, with Brisbane ranking as the third most popular summer holiday spot, and the Gold Coast, Cairns and Maroochydore also cracking the top ten. You can check out the full rankings below.
The top 10 Australian destinations for summer:
- Melbourne
- Sydney
- Brisbane
- Gold Coast
- Perth
- Adelaide
- Hobart
- Cairns
- Maroochydore
- Launceston
Along with releasing data on the top domestic destinations, Webjet revealed which overseas destinations Aussies are travelling to this summer – with international bookings jumping 31 per cent in the week following Christmas.
The top 10 international destinations for Australians in January:
- Bali
- Auckland
- Tokyo
- Queenstown
- Christchurch
- Bangkok
- Manila
- Los Angeles
- Fiji
- Wellington
If you’re looking for more travel inspo within our beautiful country, our editors' picks of the best destinations in Australia last year should help.