Which capital city holds the key to Aussie’s hearts?

Young boy peeking over a white board looking up at copy space for a message

By Hannah Edensor

While international destinations hold an exotic allure for many, it turns out almost 15 million Aussies would like to spend a holiday in Australia in the next two years.

In the latest Roy Morgan Research ‘Holiday Tracking’ survey, the last 10 years have seen some serious shake ups in terms of domestic travel, and capital cities are the latest hotspot.

Of course, Melbourne and Sydney are still among the most popular destinations for Aussie interstate travellers, with the Victorian capital coming in first place, with just over 4.2 million people saying they’re keen to book a trip in the next two years. That’s up 33 per cent compared to the same survey in 2006.

Sydney didn’t leap up as much as Melbourne, but still managed to rake in 2.4 million fans for future holidays, coming in second.

Perth seems to have lost its shine for prospective domestic holiday-goers, slipping from 1.7 million would-be visitors in 2006 to 1.5 million in the last 10 years, and has since been overtaken by Brisbane (1.8 million) and Hobart, also 1.8 million.

Capital cities Aussies would like to visit on holiday: 2006 vs 2016

Almost 1.5 million Australians say they’d like to visit Canberra in the next two years (up from 1.2 million in 2006), while Adelaide is in the sights of an additional 200,000 potential visitors.

What’s age got to do with it?

The country’s three largest capital cities have seen their popularity as potential holiday destinations rise among all age groups, with the 50-64 year-old bracket showing especially strong growth for Melbourne and Sydney, and Brisbane’s desirability surging among 25-34 year-olds in particular.

Hobart and Adelaide also made marked gains among the 25-34 year-old group, while Perth, Darwin and especially Canberra attracted considerable extra interest from older Aussies (65+) compared with 10 years ago.

Capital city preference by age group: 2006 vs 2016

As a result, it seems like Perth’s decline in popularity as somewhere Aussies would like to visit in the next two years is due to a dramatic loss of interest among the 14-24 year-old, 35-49 year-old and 50-64 year-old age brackets.

Speaking about the research, Roy Morgan’s industry comms director, Norman Morris, said, “A lot can happen in 10 years: Prime Ministers can come and go, technology can evolve in inconceivable ways, and holiday destinations can fall in and out of favour. So it’s no surprise to learn that there have been some shifts in Australians’ interest in visiting different capital cities.

“For example, where Perth was once Australia’s third-most desired capital-city destination, it has given way to Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra over the last 10 years. This raises the question: why is WA’s capital losing its appeal?

“Certainly, over the last 10 years, Hobart’s cachet has been boosted by MONA, while Brisbane’s burgeoning foodie culture could be capturing the imagination of a different kind of traveller than in previous years.

“But Perth’s star seems to have dimmed in the aftermath of the mining downturn—with other famed WA destinations such as Broome and Margaret River also losing popularity in the last decade.

“In contrast, Melbourne’s continued ascendance is testament to the city’s cross-generational appeal. With its blockbuster sporting events and art exhibitions; sensational shopping, dining and nightlife; and countless day-trip possibilities, Melbourne does indeed have something for everyone.

“Of course, destination preference among would-be holiday-goers is just one measure that tourism operators and destination marketers should be monitoring. To better understand how a destination’s popularity is tracking, it is helpful to also monitor its performance in terms of actual holiday intention (as opposed to preference) and visitation, as well as their awareness of current marketing campaigns.”

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest comments

CrankyFranky says:

February 17, 2017 at 8:22 pm

yeah I lived in Mairlben (mostly Fitzroy) for 5 years and loved it – now I’ve lived in Sydney for 25 years and I’d still prefer Mairlben – if it wasn’t so bloody cold in winter !

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