There’s been a major drop in Australians taking a winter holiday compared with previous years despite the appetite for travel being stronger than ever, according to new data released today by the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) Australia.
As school holidays begin across much of the country this week, the national survey of more than 1,000 Australians reveals just 54% of Australians are planning a winter holiday this year, down dramatically from 74% two years ago.
TTF Australia CEO Margy Osmond said the figures showed Australians still desperately wanted to travel, but many households were simply finding it harder to make it happen.
“Australians haven’t fallen out of love with travel. In fact, holidays remain the number one non-essential spending priority across every generation,” Ms Osmond said.
“But many families are having to make much tougher decisions about whether they can afford to get away this winter.
“While it’s fantastic that the fuel excise relief has been extended through the school holidays, these figures show the tourism industry is still operating in a very challenging environment as households continue to come under pressure.”
The survey found domestic travel has fallen across the board, with just 23% of Australians planning a winter holiday within their own state or territory, down from 34% two years ago.
While interstate travel has dropped to 18%, down from 26% two years ago. Overseas travel has only eased slightly from 14% in winter 2024 to 12% this year.
More than half of Australians (54%) said cost-of-living pressures have impacted their winter holiday plans, with 16% taking a shorter trip than originally planned, 15% choosing a destination closer to home and 15% cutting back on accommodation spending.
A further 13% have postponed or cancelled their winter holiday altogether.
Ms Osmond said giving Australians greater certainty over the cost of travel remained critical to supporting the tourism industry.
“Every decision to postpone or cancel a holiday has consequences that extend well beyond the traveller. It means fewer visitors staying in accommodation, dining in local restaurants, visiting attractions and supporting businesses in communities right around Australia,” she said.
“That’s why giving drivers better access to real-time fuel price information through a nationally consistent platform would make a genuine difference to Australians considering a winter road trip.”
Queensland is the most popular state for a winter holiday this year, attracting 29% of travellers, followed by Victoria (23%) and New South Wales (22%).
While Melbourne has overtaken Sydney as Australia’s most popular winter city destination, with 13% of travellers planning to visit the Victorian capital, ahead of Sydney (11%), the Gold Coast (8%) and Brisbane (7%).
Europe remains Australians’ favourite overseas destination this winter, followed by New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan.
Ms Osmond said the changing destination rankings highlighted just how competitive the domestic visitor market had become.
“States are competing harder than ever for every visitor dollar, particularly while Australians remain cautious about discretionary spending,” she said.
“These results are a reminder that continued investment in destination marketing and visitor experiences matters because Australians have more choices than ever about where they spend their holiday dollars.
“Maintaining that investment will be critical to ensuring destinations remain front of mind when Australians are deciding where to travel.”
ENDS