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Australia is among the top two countries in the world searching for travel in 2023, coming in after Singapore, according to Google.
After almost three years of border closures, travel restrictions across the globe have eased and Australians aren't wasting any time planning a holiday.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides a snapshot of Australia's international travel landscape so far.
January saw a dip in overseas travel
December 2022 saw 1,515,290 overseas departures from Australia, which was an increase of 337,860 trips when compared to November.
However, it looks like the first month of 2023 took a slight dip.
There were 1,384,600 overseas departures in January.
But keep in mind that the ABS's data for January is provisional — meaning it hasn't had the full quality assurance methods applied.
What's the reason for this drop?
“Typically in January, we see many Aussies opt for a local getaway," says Expedia Brands Managing Director, Daniel Finch.
"People are looking to make the most of summer and explore their own backyard and this holds true to the latest ABS data."
"What remains promising for local operators though, is that overseas arrivals in January continue to grow, as international travellers continue to return," he said.
Numbers shouldn't be low for long
Webjet CEO David Galt attributes this to people catching their breath and taking time to plan their trips.
"Aussies are getting ahead when it comes to planning their trips," Mr Galt said.
"For international flights booked between February 1-14 this year, Webjet data shows that 31.8 per cent of these bookings were for departures 31-90 days in advance.
"This reveals that people may already be thinking about their Easter and next school holidays travel," he said.
With peak travel periods such as the European summer season and cherry blossom season in Japan approaching, Mr Galt says "getting in early" is the best way to beat flight price increases.
Where are Australians travelling?
Data from Webjet reveals the top five overseas destinations to which Australians have so far travelled this month.
This list is made up of data from flights from February 1 to February 14 and were booked between November to January.
- 1.Auckland, New Zealand
- 2.Bali, Indonesia
- 3.Christchurch, New Zealand
- 4.Tokyo, Japan
- 5.Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand takes the top spot again. But why?
Travellers are continuing to prioritise "ease and accessibility", says Mr Finch.
"For this reason, New Zealand remains one of the most popular choices," Mr Finch said.
"New Expedia research indicates a growing number of Aussies are prioritising destinations that make it easy to relax and disconnect, with over 20 per cent citing New Zealand as the destination they’d most like to go."
Going back to December, these were the top overseas destinations booked, according to Expedia.
December 1 to 31:
- 1.Bali, Indonesia
- 2.Tokyo, Japan
- 3.Singapore
- 4.London, United Kingdom
- 5.Fiji
"Bali is a consistent favourite holiday spot for Australians so it’s no surprise it was the most booked destination on Expedia.com.au in December," says Mr Finch.
Cherry blossoms drive up Japan demand
Japan's cherry blossoms, also called "sakura", will begin blooming in late March this year.
"Since travel restrictions eased, Japan has been a popular choice, with particularly strong demand for Tokyo and Osaka," Mr Finch said.
"As more and more flights become available, we're seeing this demand continue to grow, particularly ahead of the always popular Cherry Blossom season."
Sakura have deeply influenced Japanese culture for centuries.
During this season, people across Japan attend cherry blossom festivals or "Hanami", which translates to "flower viewing". It traditionally involves a picnic under the blooming trees.
Famous cherry blossom spots can get very crowded, with the best picnic spots being fought after.
What about domestic travel?
According to Webjet's data, these are the top domestic destinations from February 1 to 15:
- 1.Melbourne
- 2.Sydney
- 3.Brisbane
- 4.Gold Coast
- 5.Perth
Mr Finch says this data shows that Australians "continue to favour our world-famous coastline, with strong demand for the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in QLD and North Coast in NSW".
Which destinations are Australians searching for?
These are the top international flight destinations searched for in Australia, according to data from Google:
- 1.Japan
- 2.Bali
- 3.Fiji
- 4.London
- 5.New Zealand
- 6.Europe
- 7.Maldives
- 8.Egypt
- 9.Hong Kong
- 10.India