Booking platform Booking.com has released data on where Australians are travelling domestically and internationally this Easter break, and it appears like many of us are being called to warmer weather.
Easter break 2024 falls earlier in the year than in previous years. While last year, it occurred mid-April, this year, Good Friday falls on Friday, March 29 and Easter Monday is Monday, April 1.
With the holiday occurring earlier in the year, Sydney and Melbourne are likely to see warmer weather than in previous Easter breaks. This could explain the two cities cities second and third on the top domestic destinations for Easter list.
It was the Gold Coast, though, that came in first, in the same position as last year.
Adelaide came in fourth, rising four spots from last year. It was followed by Perth, Brisbane and Cairns. Canberra, Byron Bay and Hobart also made the list.
On the international travel front, among the Australians surveyed, most said they were heading to Tokyo over the Easter break. The Japanese capital city was ranked fifth last year, so experienced a substantial jump. Tokyo was followed by Singapore, up three spots, and Bali hotspots Seminyak, Ubud and Canggu, in that order. Canggu had been eighth on the list last year.
Bangkok, Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Hong Kong also made the list. Surprisingly, New Zealand didn’t appear once on the list.
If you’re looking to avoid the crowds and head somewhere new, consider visiting a country from this lesser-known travel destination list. Options include Bhutan, the planet’s only carbon-negative country and an emerging destination in Asia, Guam, a US island territory in Micronesia, and Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia, home to less than 4 million people.
Some other options are Mauritius, off the south-eastern coast of Africa, Saipan, a Micronesian island in the western Pacific, and Montenegro, a small Balkan country neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and the Adriatic Sea.
The full list of Australians’ top destinations for Easter travel, according to Booking.com data, is below.
AU Top 20 Domestic Destinations
- Gold Coast
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Adelaide (+4)
- Perth
- Brisbane
- Cairns
- Canberra
- Byron Bay
- Hobart (+1)
- Coffs Harbour
- Newcastle
- Port Macquarie (+3)
- Airlie Beach
- Noosa Heads (+1)
- Nelson Bay
- Forster (+1)
- Lakes Entrance
- Mooloolaba (+10)
- Port Douglas
AU Top 10 International Destinations
- Tokyo (+5)
- Singapore (+3)
- Seminyak
- Ubud
- Canggu (+3)
- Bangkok (+4)
- Ho Chi Minh City (+22)
- Hong Kong (+14)
- Osaka (+51)
- Legian (+2)
Related: Taste the Best of Seoul With Sydney’s Top Korean Restaurants
Related: What’s Behind the Korean Cuisine Boom in Sydney?
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.