They say the numbers don’t lie. Currency sales figures provide valuable insight into the destinations Australians are finding hot, as well as the ones they increasingly are not.
The latest figures from Travelex Foreign Exchange, seen by Travel Weekly, show the destinations where Australians are increasing their currency spend in 2024 vs the destinations where they decreasing it.
For 2024 the numbers show a growing appetite for destinations in Asia with all six of the top currencies with the highest upward swing in sales in this continent.
The Japanese yen experienced a big boost in sales in 2024 with currency sales up 29 per cent year-on-year.
This comes at the same time as the exchange rate increased by 6 per cent in favour of the Australian dollar.
Meanwhile, China saw the biggest boost with currency sales for the Chinese yuan renminbi up a whopping 163 per cent year-on-year, however, it is important to note that China only reopened its doors to tourism in 2023 following the pandemic. Similarly, sales for the Hong Kong dollar were up 73 per cent.
Popular budget-savvy destinations such as Bali and Vietnamese also saw a boost in 2024. Sales of the Indonesian rupiah were up 13 per cent and the Vietnamese dong increased by 16 per cent.
The Turkish Lira New also saw a 11 per cent boost in sales volume compared to the year before.
These figures align with numbers from Skyscanner and Travel Agent Finder which have shown a significant swing towards Asia in recent months.
Where travellers are going to avoid sting of weak Aussie dollar
At the other end of the scale, several popular destinations saw currency sales fall as Australians found themselves on the negative end of currency changes.
Sales volume for the United Kingdom pound dropped by 14 per cent in 2024 as Aussies saw a 3 per cent decrease in the amount of pounds they could buy for their dollar.
There was also an 8 per cent drop in sales of the US dollar, which experienced an exchange rate drop of 1 per cent.
Sales for the Swiss Franc dropped by 24 per cent as the exchange rate depreciated by 4 per cent.
Interestingly, sales volume for the Fijian dollar fell by 23 per cent, despite the currency rate improving by 1 per cent.
You can see the full list below:
Top HOT destinations
| Exchange Rate Change YoY | Sales % Change YoY | |
| Chinese Yuan Renminbi | 0 | 163 |
| Hong Kong Dollar | -1 | 73 |
| Japanese Yen | 6 | 29 |
| Vietnamese Dong | 5 | 16 |
| Thai Baht | 0 | 14 |
| Indonesian Rupiah | 4 | 13 |
Top NOT Destinations
| Exchange Rate Change YoY | Sales % Change YoY | |
| UAE Dirham | -1 | -27 |
| Swiss Franc | -4 | -24 |
| Fijian Dollar | 1 | -23 |
| United Kingdom Pound | -3 | -14 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | -13 |
| Euro | 0 | -12 |
The jury is still out as to whether currency swings have a big impact on where Australian tourists go, particularly when we are looking at customers who would employ the use of a travel agent. In a recent interview with Travel Weekly, executive director of Helloworld, Cinzia Burnes said that, whilst exchange rates might impact things such as duration of stay or level of accommodation, often they did not dictate the destination.
Cinzia Burnes: Not having brochures is like having a handbag store without handbags
Feature image: Bali and London
