As the globetrotting habits of Australian travellers continue to evolve – from venturing to far-flung destinations such as Rwanda or Costa Rica, to visiting destinations based on how Instagram-friendly they appear – keeping up with them is no easy feat.
Luxury travel advisors the Goldman Group has affirmed that the Aussie traveller is seeking unconventional destinations, in lesser-known and remote parts of the world.
According to the group, the Caribbean has become popular in recent months, with increasing numbers jetting to Cuba and Costa Rica, thanks largely to the new US stopover cities of Houston and Dallas.
Qantas now flies direct to Dallas and United Airlines flies direct to Houston from Sydney, both in under 16 hours, making Caribbean destinations much more accessible to Australian travellers.
As the Caribbean island continues to court tourists, Cuba is expected to welcome a record high of five million visitors in 2019 alone.
Venturing further south, and boasting a coastline on both the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, the Goldman Group believes Costa Rica is the ultimate nature-based holiday, with a backdrop of rugged rainforests, diverse wildlife, beaches, hot springs and volcanos to discover.
Adventure trips to pristine destinations such as the Galapagos Islands, Iceland, and Antarctica are also trending for the Goldman Group, with active experiences high on the bucket list of Australian travellers.
A multitude of cruise lines have made it more accessible than ever to get to these previously remote areas of the globe, which the group says is contributing to the surge in popularity.
The desire for authenticity and cultural interactions is also driving Aussie travellers to places such as Morocco, a popular European destination over the warmer months, according to the Goldman Group.
Travelling in pursuit of memories and experiences, the group says Aussie travellers are increasingly heading to the landlocked East African country of Rwanda.
Known as “the land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda is blessed with extraordinary biodiversity and incredible wildlife living throughout its volcanoes, rainforests and sweeping plains.
The extraordinarily beautiful country is home to more than one third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and remains one of the best places in the world to see both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in their natural habitat.
Anthony Goldman, managing director at the Goldman Group, says social media and the rise of the selfie has made a significant impact on the way Aussies travel.
“The Goldman Group Australian Luxury Traveller 2019 Report revealed that more than one third of Aussie travellers enjoy posting about their holidays online, and get holiday inspiration from social media feeds,” he says.
“Notably, it’s Instagram fuelling the travel appetites of Australians, and with the hashtag #holiday obtaining 124 million mentions on Instagram alone – you can see why.
“Many of our client’s message us directly on Instagram and ask to book hotels featured in our posts, or ask about the destinations visited by our travel advisors.
“In turn, we have witnessed hotels around the world strive to be the most photogenic and Instagrammable accommodation providers in 2019.”
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