The peak holiday season may have just ended, but Australians are already looking to book their next vacation, and international booking searches are booming.
Australia’s aviation industry has faced a bumpy recovery from Covid-19 shutdowns, including staffing shortages, long queues at airports, fare increases and route closures.
However, despite the problems, demand for travel remains strong, with international flight searches in 2023 up by around 6% compared to the same period in 2019. Kayak.
“Many of us have just returned to work, but we’re not the only ones already looking to their next vacation,” said KAYAK Brand Director Nicola Carmichael.
“For those looking for their next travel destination, destinations such as London, Paris, Ho Chi Minh City and Istanbul are the current trends.”
London topped the travel search engine’s top 10 trending destinations, followed by Paris and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Istanbul, Turkey was fourth and Zagreb, Croatia was fifth.
Data is based on international hotel and flight searches made on KAYAK.com.au and affiliated brands between January 9th and January 15th of this year, and compared to the same search and travel period in 2019. based on travel from January 1st to January 31st. .
best month to fly
KAYAK also revealed that October is the best time to fly internationally, with an average return economy flight fare of $1,431, saving about $247 (about 31%) if you take off that month. I made it
Carmichael told news.com.au:
“Australian travelers will get great deals on flights in October, and hopefully the late summer weather will continue when they arrive. There are pluses, for example, it may be easier to book a nice hotel room or enjoy to the fullest popular tourist attractions with few people around.
“Prices can change quickly”
But Carmichael says prices can change quickly, so “spending time to compare different flight options pays off.”
The average flight fare to London is $2,102, with searches up nearly 236% compared to 2019.
Around $197 for Paris, $939 and $2021 for Ho Hi Minh City and Istanbul respectively.
More than 2.2 million people, including 800,000 international passengers, were expected to pass through Sydney Airport during peak Christmas season this year.
The chairman of Strategic Aviation Solutions said this has increased the capacity of flights lead to cheaper seats over the next few months.
“It’s not doomed to failure. It’s nonsense,” Hansford said.
“The biggest problem is that we can’t get our workers back…but we have bounced back from Covid as a much stronger economy than anyone thought.”
Meanwhile, domestic flight searches have dropped by about 22%, according to KAYAK, indicating that international travel plans may be a higher priority for Australians this year.
Similarly, searches for flights traveling as a couple are down by nearly a third (29%, while group and solo trips are up about 22% and 7%, respectively).
“A recent survey of Australians by KAYAK found that around 81% felt more empowered to travel ‘on their own terms’ after the pandemic. That means they prioritize wanting their vacation to be perfect. Searches for solo travel are on the rise,” Carmichael said.
A KAYAK study found that February was the cheapest month on average for global hotel prices, with an average price of $216 per night (about 44% higher than the annual average).
Unsurprisingly, this December will be an expensive month to stay in a hotel abroad.
“Hotel stays in Southeast Asian destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Kuta typically average less than $200 per night,” the company said in a statement.
“On the other hand, European hotel rates in cities such as London and Paris average $300 to $400 per night.”
