Australians are prioritising travel above major life milestones and purchases, with new research from Webjet Group revealing a strong shift toward simpler booking experiences, value-driven destinations and travel as a tool for wellbeing.
Unveiling the company’s first ‘Go Somewhere Special Report’, Webjet Group CEO Katrina Barry said brand research showed consumers are increasingly overwhelmed by fragmented online travel options.
“[A total of] 74 per cent of people said ‘If you can put it all in one place and make that beautiful for me, that’d be great’,” Barry said.
The nationally representative survey of 2,000 Australians aged 18 to 80 will become an annual benchmark tracking travel sentiment and behaviour.
Webjet Group aims to position itself as an “ultimate travel companion”, allowing customers to book flights, accommodation, tours and car hire seamlessly in one place.
Travel tops Australians’ priorities
The report found travel is the activity Australians are most excited about in 2026, outranking weddings, major purchases and entertainment events.
“Nothing is exciting to Australians more than travel,” Barry said.
Nine out of 10 Australians said they are excited to travel this year, with the average traveller planning four trips annually — including 2.6 domestic and 1.7 international journeys.
Holidays increasingly tied to mental wellbeing
The findings also highlight a shift toward travel as emotional self-care.
“Travel is not just becoming the thing that you do or the thing that we need to do to treat ourselves. This is becoming part of mental health management.”
One in three working age Australians said they plan to take a holiday specifically for mental health reasons, while four in 10 described travel as a personal treat.
Japan leads destinations as value shapes decisions
Japan remains the top overseas destination for Australians, with interest expanding beyond Tokyo and Hokkaido to Osaka and Okinawa.
“Japan is still having its moment.”
New Zealand ranked second, while short-haul Southeast Asia destinations such as Bali, Thailand and Vietnam are gaining traction as travellers prioritise affordability over long-haul European trips.
Domestically, Queensland continues to dominate demand, led by Brisbane and the Gold Coast, while Tasmania is performing strongly relative to its size.
Affordability drives bookings
Despite the influence of social media on travel inspiration, price remains the key factor at checkout.
“It’s the old, sensible stuff that is driving the actual checkout decisions in a far more cost conscious and practical Australia.”
Travellers spend an average of four months planning a trip, including around 10 hours researching and two hours browsing social media early in the process.
Experiences over transport
Australians are prioritising accommodation, food and experiences over flights when allocating travel budgets.
“I don’t care about my new TV. I care about actually going to trip and having a quality experience.”
Business travel insight: it’s about the hotel
The report also found business travel appeal is driven more by the stay and destination than meetings.
“It’s not about that. We both know. It’s about the hotel.”
Annual snapshot of changing travel behaviour
Webjet Group plans to release the report annually to track evolving demand trends.
“A lot of Australians are thinking ‘This is more exciting to me than anything else in my life, and I need this for my mental health,’” Barry said.
The findings suggest Australians are leaning toward shorter, value-driven trips to Asia while maintaining strong overall travel appetite for 2026.
