Skyscanner Flight Data Reveals Whitsundays, Hamilton Island & Alice Springs Top The List For Trending Autumn & Winter Escapes

SYDNEY, April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyscanner's Horizons Report has been created to provide a snapshot of Australian travel trends based on March travel behaviour on skyscanner.com.au, providing a picture of travel in 2021 as its re-defined.

Using extensive data and insights as well as expert opinion from Skyscanner and wider in the travel industry, Skyscanner can reveal the trending destinations and new research of over 1,000 travellers providing crucial context to the trends reported:

1# WHERE'S 'HOT' - Aussies switch the hustle and bustle for island life and roads less trodden

• Whitsundays, Hamilton Island, Alice Springs are the top trending destinations for Autumn & Winter escapes between June – October 2021
• Couples are switching Rome for Cairns and a romantic trip to Venice for Broome whilst international travel restrictions continue
• Families and groups in search of sun are trading destinations like Phuket and Bali for Cairns the Sunshine and Gold Coasts and families are finding island life equivalents on paradise island Hamilton Island instead of Fiji

Trending search destinations for June – October 2021 travel:

Top destinations for families in 2019 Vs 2021:

Top destinations for couples in 2019 Vs 2021:

Top travel destinations for groups in 2019 Vs 2021:

2# REASONS FOR TRAVEL – Price and reuniting with loved ones influence travel choices

• When it came to selecting their destination of choice, 37% of survey participants said that price was the key factor
• The average trip duration is shorter in 2021 for Australian travellers: 16 days Vs 21 in 2019, due to much shorter flights and domestic travel shift
• Travellers are looking for travel with shorter booking windows departing in May and June 2021
• 34% of survey participants who said that they were planning a trip over 14 days in length were planning to enjoy an extended holiday or visit family and friends

3# PRICE V VALUE - Value for money travel and flight "upgrades"

• Australian travellers are spending less, with the average fare purchased coming in at 35% less than it did pre-pandemic, due to lower prices and a shift to domestic travel
• However Australian travellers are choosing to get more out of each fare by "upgrading" from the cheapest option, prioritising a direct route, flexible fare, a preferred airline or airport of choice over the lowest price. On average choosing fares which are 23% more expensive than the lowest shown to them for their chosen route
• When asked which factors would make them pay for a more expensive flight over a cheaper one, 26% of Australian travellers said they wanted to upgrade/splurge on their fare, and 32% said they'd pay more for flexible travel

Paul Whiteway, Head of Asia Pacific Region at Skyscanner comments:
"Australia is a nation of travel lovers and whilst restriction free international travel is off the cards for Australians for the time being, our travel data reveals domestic travel is booming. Our news research shows there is pent up wanderlust with 37% of those surveyed saying the culture and things to do on holiday is impacting their destination preferences. This desire to get out and explore has led Aussies to re-imagine their bucket list travels for the time being and reconsider the incredible destinations closer to home.

"There are few places better to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and explore roads less trodden than Australia's Northern Territory. Or for that tropical island and white sandy beach fix travellers are looking to Whitsundays and Hamilton Island for some much-needed wanderlust. Where measures have been announced providing clarity on dates and restrictions, we have seen direct correlations with interest for example with the recent New Zealand travel corridor.

"Enticing deals for domestic travel coupled with increased flexibility is really unlocking travel demand. Travellers want to get away safely and within the rules, and we expect that as we see more travel become possible, travellers will respond with their booking behaviours. For any Aussies thinking about an upcoming Autumn or Winter trip or exploring a new destination in their own backyard, Skyscanner shows travellers the best available prices by clearly highlighting the cheapest day and options and you can set up price alerts to be the first in the know when prices change."

For Australians looking further afield, Skyscanner can reveal the current top searched international destinations for October - December

Skyscanner has implemented new features to provide the most up-to-date advice for travellers during the pandemic including; dedicated advice pages, flexible booking policy filters for flights and hotels for last minute changes and airline hygiene safety and hotel cleanliness ratings. 

Notes to editors
Analysis is based on Skyscanner's Australia search and redirect data with the analysis period March 2021 compared to March 2019 for travel between June and October in the corresponding years, unless otherwise stated.

The volumes of searches, redirects and the number of available itineraries in 2021 is lower than in 2019. Therefore analysis is based on a proportion of total, removing changes in volume over time.

Destination rankings are calculated as follows:

Top destinations in 2021 with the rank change vs 2019

Trending up – top destinations in 2021 that have moved up by at least five positions vs 2019

Passenger type – 2021 destinations with the highest share of relevant itineraries, ranked by popularity

One Poll research

OnePoll survey commissioned by Skyscanner n=1000 in Australia. Conducted 21/04/2021 - 23/04/2021, representative adults.

About Skyscanner
Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel marketplace dedicated to putting travellers first. Skyscanner helps millions of people in 52 countries and over 30 languages find the best travel options for flights, hotels and car hire every month. Skyscanner is available on desktop, mobile web and its highly rated app has 100 million downloads. Working with 1200 travel partners, Skyscanner's mission is to lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel. 

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