Domestic Air Volume Still Down By 25%

According to the most recent annual report from Tourism Research Australia, domestic overnight trips dropped by over a quarter in the year to 30 June 2022 compared to the same time in 2019.

There were about 86 million trips taken, with total overnight spending of $69 billion, down 11% from 2019.

Most people who booked a domestic trip did so for a leisure holiday since the average length of stay was four days. The average cost per person was $211 a night, for a total of almost $800. (38.5 million). Following business trips, the most common reason for international visitors to Australia was to see friends and family (28.2 million) (15.9 million).

For the whole year, leisure vacations topped the list of average expenditures at $987, while business trips averaged $631. The age group between 30 and 35 years old had the biggest increase in spending (55% to $380 per trip), followed by the age group between 40 and 44 years old (49% increase) and the age group between 45 and 49 years old (45% increase).

The positive trend of more domestic tourists taking longer and more expensive travels during the second quarter of 2022 was reflected in a 60% increase in vacation expenditures compared to the same period in 2019.

Spending on seasonal holidays also witnessed its most significant quarterly gain since the pandemic started, up by $5.2 billion from the third quarter of the prior year.

On the other hand, business travel fell 23% from pre-pandemic levels due to companies’ increasing acceptance of remote workers and investments in technology that facilitates telecommuting and onsite-offsite cooperation.