The Rise of the Aussie Staycation: 56% of hotel searches are for destinations on home turf

Aussies are known for their love of travelling the world, however it seems that they also take time to appreciate the beauty in their own backyard, with domestic destinations taking a 56% share of overall hotel searches.

Leading travel search engine, KAYAK.com.au, has taken a deep dive into hotel search habits for Australian travellers to uncover the top trending and popular destinations, as well as the most popular day of the week to search for hotels. KAYAK also shares tips for choosing the right hotel for any travellers’ needs.

KAYAK’s Hotel Travel Report reveals: 

• Australian travellers are substituting the time and money they spend on overseas travel on lavish hotels and spas close to home:

○        Short stays (1-3 days): Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane top the list for the most popular destinations to visit for a short stay. However, Aussies are willing to travel as far as Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul for just a short trip away, with all three destinations falling within the top 10.

○        Long stays (up to 2 weeks): Melbourne tops the list for visits lasting over two weeks, beating Bali, New York, Honolulu and Sydney. The lively city of Melbourne, renowned for being home to world-class restaurants and some of Australia’s best shopping, has plenty to keep travellers entertained for over a fortnight.

○        When it comes to preferences, the most popular star category is four-star, with 46% of Aussies searching for four-star hotels compared to 22% searching for five-star luxury, and 1% actively searching for one-star hotels.

○        In terms of desired amenities or types of hotels, the most important ones to Aussies are boutiques, hotels with spas, hotels with great design, luxurious, budget-friendly, hotels with an airport close by and business-friendly hotels. 

• Strong domestic travel trends: The data shows that Newcastle has seen a 158% year-on-year increase in popularity, followed by Surfers Paradise (+149% year-on-year), Brisbane (+122% year-on-year), Canberra (+111% year-on-year) and Perth (+79% year-on-year).

• Monday blues are real: When Monday rolls around, it seems Aussies are more interested in dreaming up their next holiday, rather than working. KAYAK’s data uncovered Monday as the most popular day of the week to search for hotels in top destinations, with hopeful holidaymakers browsing for an average of 4.5 minutes.

• Aussies are organised travellers: When booking hotels, Aussies are responsible and organised ahead of their trip, with an average of 23 days ahead of stays between 1-3 days, 84 days ahead of stays between 1-2 weeks, and 74 days ahead of stays over 2 weeks long.

Robin Chiang, Country Head of Australia and New Zealand at KAYAK, comments: “We’re excited to share our insights around what Aussies are really looking for when they search for hotels with our first Hotel Travel Report. As a leading travel search engine, KAYAK powers not just flight search, but also hotel search and more. Our powerful hotel search filters and Hotel Heat Map are able to help our users to find the accommodation that is right for them.”

Top 10 Trending Destinations* 

Top 10 Popular Destinations for Short Stays (1-3 days)** 

Top 10 Popular Destinations for Medium Stays (1-2 weeks)*** 

Top 10 Popular Destinations for Long Stays (2+ weeks)****