Singapore defends title as top holiday destination for Aussies in 2018

 Booking.com, global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of unique places to stay, has today unveiled Australia’s top booked destinations both domestically and internationally from 2018.

New data from Booking.com has revealed Australian travellers are still smitten with South East Asia. Singapore has come out on top as the most popular destination when Aussies travel internationally, for the second year in a row. London, UK has also held its position as the second most popular international destination for Aussies overall. Tokyo and New Zealand have swapped placed with Tokyo being bumped to fourth place and closer to home Auckland, New Zealand moving its way up the ladder to third place.

New Zealand proved to be particularly popular among Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and New South Wales residents with Auckland, Otago and Christchurch all making their top booked international destinations.

Meanwhile, despite the distance, European holidays remained popular amongst Aussies in 2018. Classic city hubs London and Rome both made the top ten booked destinations internationally across each individual state, with the capital of romance, Paris, coming in third due to its popularity across New South Wales and Tasmania.

When it comes to domestic travel, Aussies have kept close to home with travellers across every state most likely to travel to their own capital city for a holiday, with the exception of Australian Capital Territory who preferred Sydney and Tasmania who preferred Melbourne. However, the fastest growing domestic destinations steer away from the capital city and closer to the sunshine coast with Mackay, Rockhampton and Airlie Beach coming in as the top three on the list.

Luke Wilson, Booking.com Area Manager for Australia said, “This year was an interesting year for travel as we saw holidaymakers re-visit their favourite places both domestically and further afield. The adventurous nature of New Zealand also lured in more Australian travellers so we’re seeing a shift in the kind of holidays people are looking for.”

“There is also a shift in the kind of accommodation people desire to suit their travel choices. With the variety of holiday rental properties and unique stays continuing to grow on Booking.com, we’re seeing a higher demand for properties such as ApartHotels, guest houses and lodges. From this new research we’re excited to see the new travel experiences Australians choose to endeavour in in the New Year and how this will impact the most popular destination list for 2019.”