Sun May 30

Winter is coming and these are the fastest growing destinations for Aussies

Written by Krystal Heng

Tripadvisor data reveals Bolifushi Island and Lake Hayes are trending for international travel, while Hahndorf is top of the list for domestic staycations

With vaccines rolling out and travel bubbles slowly coming into play, Aussies are confident and ready to return to travel -- both domestically and regionally. In fact, a recent Tripadvisor survey found that 81% of travellers in Australia feel confident that it is safer to travel now, than it was three months ago¹.

Tripadvisor search data shows that the most popular travel weeks for Australians this winter are weeks commencing 7 June and 14 June, but which destinations are on the up for Aussies this winter?

When looking at the Australian destinations which have seen the largest increase in searches since January for domestic travel this winter, Hahndorf in Adelaide comes out on top, followed by Palm Beach in Queensland and New South Wales’ Dubbo in second and third place respectively. Queensland overall seems to be a hot spot for travellers, taking five of the top ten destinations seeing the biggest increase in Tripadvisor clicks from Aussie travellers looking to book a domestic trip.

Internationally, New Zealand is trending heavily as seven of the top ten destinations seeing the biggest increase in Tripadvisor clicks from Aussie travellers are located here. This is likely owing to the fact that the Trans-Tasman travel bubble has been established between the two countries, allowing for quarantine-free travel between them. However, the destination currently at the top of the list for international travel is Bolifushi Island in the Maldives, known for its stunning blue waters and vibrant marine landscape - the ideal spot for travellers looking to escape the cold weather.

Here is a full list of the fastest growing domestic and international destinations based on the biggest increase in searches since January, along with highly rated hotel options with winter availability:

Fastest Growing (Domestic)	Highly rated hotel with winter availability¹	Fastest Growing (International)	Highly rated hotel with winter availability¹
Hahndorf, Adelaide	Hahndorf House Bed & Breakfast	Bolifushi Island, Maldives	Ozen Reserve Bolifushi
Palm Beach, Queensland	Currumbin Sands on the Beach	Lake Hayes, New Zealand	Stoneridge Estate
Dubbo, New South Wales	Country Leisure Motor Inn	San Miguel de Allende, Mexico	Rosewood San Miguel de Allende
Carrara, Queensland	Elite Gold Coast	Christchurch, New Zealand	The George Christchurch
Benowa, Queensland	RACV Royal Pines Resort Gold Coast	Wanaka, New Zealand	Wanaka Homestead Lodge and Cottages
Townsville, Queensland	Mercure Townsville	Queenstown, New Zealand	Kamana Lakehouse
Hope Island, Queensland	InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort	Dunedin, New Zealand	Amross Motel
Wallerawang, New South Wales	Black Gold Motel	Rome, Italy	Hotel Colosseum
Fremantle, Western Australia	Esplanade Hotel Fremantle - by Rydges	Te Anau, New Zealand	Radfords on the Lake
Biggera Waters, Queensland	Pelican Cove Apartments	Rotorua, New Zealand	Peppers on the Point Rotorua