Where will Australians travel to next year? Based on historical data, emerging destinations like Cuba, South Korea and Taiwan are predicted hot spots for Aussies in 2016.
The list of destinations predicted by Skyscanner Australia features countries that recorded strong interest and high percentage increases in searches from Aussies since 2012. Having recently opened its doors to the US and the wider world, Cuba is projected to be the upcoming popular destination for Aussie travellers.
Searches to the Latin American island in 2015 saw an average increase of 94% from the previous year and an average 15% change over the past three years.
Aside from the tried-and-tested holiday spots in the UK, US and Indonesia, countries in the North Asia region, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan and Central Asia region Mongolia are also growing in popularity.
Mongolia is growing in popularity.
| Skyscanner’s predicted
hot spots for Aussies in 2016 |
% increase from 2014 to 2015 | % increase over past 3 years | |
| 1 | Cuba | 94% | 15% |
| 2 | South Korea | 43% | 24% |
| 3 | Taiwan | 37% | 7% |
| 4 | India | 33% | 19% |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 23% | 22% |
| 6 | Mongolia | 22% | 5% |
| 7 | Norway | 20% | 6% |
| 8 | Samoa | 16% | 21% |
| 9 | Japan | 13% | 10% |
| 10 | Philippines | 5% | 12% |
On the domestic front, Aussies look set to unwind and escape the big smoke in 2016 with Uluru, Hobart and Proserpine all ranked in the top three predicted home destinations.
Uluru, Hobart and Proserpine all ranked in the top three predicted home destinations.
| Skyscanner’s predicted local hot spots for Aussies in 2016 | % increase from 2014 to 2015 | % increase over past 3 years | |
| 1 | Uluru (Ayers Rock) | 21% | 16% |
| 2 | Hobart | 18% | 12% |
| 3 | Proserpine | 15% | 16% |
| 4 | Launceston | 11% | 5% |
| 5 | Adelaide | 10% | 6% |
Emily Callahan, Senior Marketing Manager at Skyscanner for Australia and New Zealand said: “After analysing millions of flight search data from the past three years, it is really interesting to see these new and exciting destinations such as Cuba and Mongolia on this list of upcoming favourites.
The data also reinforces what we already know about Australians – their love for travel and thirst for adventure will always take them to somewhere new and this isn’t limited to international holidays either, with Uluru, cities in Tasmania as well as Proserpine emerging as local hot spots for 2016.”
Aussies looking for more inspiration can search ‘Everywhere’ in the destination field on Skyscanner to discover a list of destinations around the world, one might have never thought to visit before, sorted by lowest airfares.
For more information on the list of predicted hot spots for 2016, please read: Travel Trends – The hottest destinations for Aussies in 2016.