While July to September is considered a slow travel season for both Australia and Southeast Asian countries, Trip.com
data (during June and July for these two key areas) shows that more
travellers from these regions are booking trips during this season.
For Southeast Asian consumers based in tropical countries, summer is
the perfect time to visit a cooler destination like Australia, and vice
versa. For Australian travellers, short-haul travel to Southeast Asia
remains perennially popular, especially after travel restrictions were
gradually eased in the area this year.
Unsurprisingly, trips to Australia are most popular among travellers
from New Zealand, but what is interesting is the amount of travellers
heading to Australia from Asia. In fact, flight bookings from Southeast
Asia to Australia increased 35% between June and July, compared to Trip.com
booking data from April and May. The removal of many travel
restrictions in Australia and New Zealand that have been in place during
the pandemic has led to a spike in interest from Asian travellers.
In the top five countries travelling to Australia this summer,
Indonesia came in second place behind New Zealand, with Singapore taking
third place and Thailand in the fifth place. UK travellers took the
fourth spot, suggesting that the appetite for long-haul trips is
increasing in the UK market too.
Domestically, during Australian winter, Trip.com
data emphasises the trend for Australia’s southern residents to visit
Queensland in the north to enjoy warmer weather during the off-season,
with Brisbane, Cairns, the Gold Coast and the Whitsundays all attracting
domestic travellers. Driven by the international travel market
recovering in the first half of 2022, Trip.com data shows that more Australians are frequently heading further north to escape the cold during the winter.
Since April, the ratio of international bookings made on Trip.com Australia has continued to increase, with 42% in March rising to 63% in July.
Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, most Australian international travellers booking on Trip.com have chosen to travel short haul to Southeast Asia during winter this year.
Local tourism from Australia to the region is on the rise, with
flight bookings to the region increasing by 97% in June and July
compared to April and May. Countries including Indonesia, India,
Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore all made it into the top
10 most popular destinations for Australian users during June and July,
with Indonesia taking the top spot, which aligned with the reopening of
borders in many Asian countries this year.
Source: WiT