by The peak holiday season may have just ended, but Australians are already looking to book their next holiday with an increase in searches for international bookings.
Australia’s aviation industry has faced a bumpy recovery from the Covid-19 shutdowns, with staff shortages, long queues at airports, higher fares and routes cut.
However, despite the hiccups, travel demand is still high with searches for international flights in 2023 up about 6% from the same period in 2019, according to Kayak.
“Many of us have just returned to work, but we’re not the only ones already planning our next vacation,” said Nicola Carmichael, Kayak Brand Manager.
“For those looking for their next trip, destinations such as London, Paris, Ho Chi Minh City and Istanbul are the hot spots right now.”
London came in first place in the travel search engine’s top 10 trending destinations, followed by Paris and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Istanbul, Turkey placed fourth while Zagreb, Croatia took fifth place.
The data is based on international hotel and flight searches conducted on Kayak.com.au and associated brands between January 9-15 this year, and for trips between January 1-31 that were compared to the same period of research and travel in 2019. .
Best month to fly
Kayak also revealed that October is the best time to travel abroad this year with an average price of $1,431 for a round-trip economy class flight, saving you around $247 (about $31 %) if you take off that month.
“Travelling to the Northern Hemisphere in the shoulder season can be a real wallet saver, with flight prices lower than in peak months,” Ms Carmichael told news.com.au.
“Australian travelers can get good deals on flights in October and hopefully some summer weather on arrival – and there are more positives for off-season travel, for example, there can be easier to book a nice hotel room or enjoy the most popular sights with fewer other people around.
“Prices can change quickly”
But Ms Carmichael said prices can change quickly, ‘so it pays to invest time comparing different flight options’.
The average price for a flight to London is $2,102, with searches up around 236% from 2019.
For Paris it’s around $197 and for Ho hi Minh City and Istanbul it’s $939 and $2021 respectively.
More than 2.2 million people are expected to pass through Sydney Airport during the Christmas peak this year, including 800,000 international passengers.
The president of Strategic Aviation Solutions said this increased capacity on flights will lead to cheaper seats over the next few months.
“It’s not doomed, it’s nonsense,” Mr Hansford said.
“The biggest problem is you can’t get the workers back…but we’ve rebounded as a much stronger Covid economy than anyone thought.”
Meanwhile, according to Kayak, searches for domestic flights have fallen by around 22%, indicating planning overseas trips may be a higher priority for Australians this year.
Similarly, searches for flights to travel as a couple also fell by almost a third (29%), with group and solo travel increasing by around 22% and 7% respectively.
“Kayak recently surveyed Australians and found that around 81% feel more able to travel ‘their way’ post-pandemic, meaning they are prioritizing what they want to make their holiday more enjoyable. perfect, and that’s probably why we’re seeing an increase in solo travel searches,” Ms. Carmichael said.
Kayak found that the most affordable month on average for hotel stays internationally is February, with an average price of $216 per night (about a 44% increase from the yearly average).
Unsurprisingly, December is expected to be an expensive month to stay in a hotel abroad this year.
“Hotel stays in Southeast Asian destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Kuta typically cost less than $200 on average per night,” the company said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, European overnight stays in hotels in cities like London and Paris cost an average of $300-$400 per night.”
