While July to September is considered a slow travel season for both Australia and Southeast Asia, Trip.com data shows that more people from these two regions are travelling during these months.
For Southeast Asian consumers based in tropical countries, it 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.
Trip.com's bookings data during June and July for the Asia Pacific region and Australia shows that trips to Australia are most popular among travellers from New Zealand, and also that flight bookings from Southeast Asia to Australia increased 35% between June and July, compared to Trip.com
booking data from April and May. Australia and New Zealand recently removed many of the travel restrictions that have been in place during the pandemic.
Those travelling to Australia this summer, included travellers from Indonesia in 2nd place, behind New Zealand, Singapore taking 3rd place and Thailand, 5th place.
Domestically, Trip.com data also highlighted a 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 local travellers.
Driven by the international travel market recovering in the first half of 2022, Trip.com data shows that more Australians are heading further north to escape the cold. Since April, the ratio of international bookings made on Trip.com Australia has continued to increase, from 42% of all bookings 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. Flight bookings to the region increased by 97% in June and July compared to April and May. Countries such as Indonesia, India, the 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.
Trip.com recently partnered with Tourism Malaysia to offer Australian travellers exclusive deals on their next trip to the region, including return flights from A$488. Since the launch of the campaign, Trip.com has seen a 34% increase in flight bookings to the country.
