Aussies opt for home holidays

More and more Australians are choosing to holiday in their own country, new figures reveal.

According to accommodation specialist HotelClub, domestic holiday bookings in Australia were up by 86 per cent during last December and January, the country's summer season, compared to the same period in 2004-2005.

Research shows that 75 per cent of the bookings made in December and January were for domestic breaks, with more Aussies choosing to take advantage of their own country's hot summer months.

The top ten destinations for Aussies were eight Australian cities, and just two overseas cities.

However, this is not to say Australians are ignoring the rest of the world, as other countries are growing in popularity, with 25 per cent of bookings for the period being made in countries including Thailand, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Italy and the UK.

Chloe Lim, director of sales and marketing, HotelClub, said: "Australians are taking holidays with an ever increasing number of choices at their disposal - including a wide range of domestic and international options to choose from.

"Australia has everything from beaches to snowy mountains for skiing holidays. In addition, Asia and the Pacific Islands are within easy reach and are becoming a more affordable option with low-cost air carriers at their disposal."

As well as taking in more of their homeland, Australians are also spending less on booking somewhere to go, in order to have more to spend on activities, according to research by Euromonitors.

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