Off-season travel demand grows between Australia and Southeast Asia as borders reopen

SINGAPORE, Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While July to September is considered a slow travel season for both Australia and Southeast Asian countries, Trip.com data shows that more travellers from these two regions are travelling 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.

In order to fully grasp the travel trends in the APAC region and Australia, Trip.com took an in-depth look at bookings data during June and July for these two key areas, with some intriguing insights discovered along the way.

Asian travel to Australia is on the rise, with UK long-haul trips increasing

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. As Australia and New Zealand recently removed many of the travel restrictions that have been in place during the pandemic, this has led to a spike in interest from Asian travellers.

In the top 5 countries travelling to Australia this summer, Indonesia came in second place behind New Zealand, with Singapore taking 3rd place and Thailand 5th place. UK travellers took the 4th spot, suggesting that the appetite for long-haul trips is increasing in the UK market too.

Australians are frequently heading to Asia to escape the cold

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.

Trip.com recently partnered with Tourism Malaysia to offer Australian travellers exclusive deals on their next trip to the region, including return flights from $488. Here, you can find out more about the Discover Malaysia campaign and explore the full list of discounts and promotions on flights and hotels. Since the launch of the campaign, we have seen a 34% increase in flight bookings, which just confirms the increased appetite of Australian travellers to visit Southeast Asia this year and beyond.