When the holidays come to their inevitable sorry end, the natural next step is to book your next one. According to Webjet, that’s exactly what Australians have been doing – with bookings for domestic trips booming by 106 per cent in the week following Boxing Day. The travel website has just revealed data on travel bookings made in the weeks following Christmas, and our very own Harbour City is travel destination number two for Australians looking to get away this summer. Unsurprisingly, Melbourne – which is hosting the largest sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere – came in at number one. Keen to learn where Aussies are travelling this summer? Read on.
The main trend that WebJet noticed was last-minute holiday bookings, with Aussies seemingly spending their Christmas money on last-minute getaways. Of all the travel bookings made by Australians in the seven days following Boxing Day, 87 per cent were scheduled for January. The top travel destinations for the remainder of summer were Australia’s big cities, with Melbourne taking the top spot – with 19 per cent of flights booked heading to the home of the Aus Open. Sydney ranked as the second-most popular destination for domestic travel in January, with 16 per cent of flights heading into the Harbour City. Further north, Brisbane came in at number three, and the Gold Coast was the fourth most popular domestic destination for Aussie travellers this January.
The most popular domestic destinations for Australian travellers for the rest of summer are:
- Melbourne (19 per cent)
- Sydney (16 per cent)
- Brisbane (14 per cent)
- Gold Coast (10 per cent)
- Perth (8 per cent)
- Adelaide (6 per cent)
- Hobart (5 per cent)
- Cairns (4 per cent)
- Maroochydore (3 per cent)
- Launceston (2 per cent)
As well as releasing data on the top domestic destinations for Aussies this summer, Webjet revealed which overseas destinations we’re travelling to this summer – with international bookings jumping 31 per cent in the week after Christmas.
According to Webjet, the top international destinations for Aussie travellers this January are:
- Bali (17 per cent)
- Auckland (12 per cent)
- Tokyo (9 per cent)
- Queenstown (5 per cent)
- Christchurch (4 per cent)
- Bangkok (3 per cent)
- Manila (3 per cent)
- Los Angeles (3 per cent)
- Fiji (3 per cent)
- Wellington (3 per cent)
If you’re looking for more travel inspo within our beautiful state, our editors' picks of the best destinations in NSW for 2025 should help.