Hot off the heels of news that Melbourne was recently named one of the top five drinking cities for 2023 comes new data that reveals the Victorian capital has also just been ranked the third most popular destination for travellers in 2023.
According to a study by Airbnb, Melbourne beat out cities like Auckland and Queenstown in New Zealand, Bangkok in Thailand and Florianópolis in Brazil to take out the coveted third spot. Sydney nabbed silver in second place, and Málaga in Spain reigned supreme coming in first. It was a win all-round for Aussie destinations, with Perth also managing to take out the ninth position on the list.
Airbnb based its findings on search volumes on its booking platform over the course of 2022. Compared to last year’s data, Sydney actually retained its second-place spot on the list, but Melbourne experienced a spike in interest, jumping from fifth in 2022 to third this year.
In case you needed a reminder of why Melbourne is truly a world-class destination, you just need to look at the incredible array of restaurants and bars that are open or glance at the theatre productions and exhibitions that are currently running. Oh, and let’s not forget that Melbourne is also considered the most friendly city in the world, and the fourth most LGBTQIA+-friendly city in the world.