Airbnb sees huge spike in domestic travel bookings

Sunset above Craigs Hut, built as the the set for Man from Snowy River movie in the Victorian Alps, Australia
By Alexandra Coulton


New data from Airbnb has shown a surge in domestic bookings, particularly in regional areas.

With same-state travel resuming across the country, Airbnb’s research shows strong early signs of economic recovery, with intrastate bookings in some regions exceeding those in the same period in 2019.

In just a seven-day period (17 to 23 May), intrastate bookings in NSW jumped 488 per cent month-on-month, following the announcement of easing travel restrictions.

Australia-wide bookings in NSW are already nearing pre-COVID-19 levels, recovering to almost 90 per cent of bookings in the same week last year.

Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory are also seeing significant increases in same-state travel, with bookings up 66 per cent, 77 per cent and 93 per cent respectively, compared with the same week last year.

Victorians have also been busy booking trips for the back-half of the year, with bookings within the state expected to experience a surge similar to that in other states, given the month-on-month increase of 135 per cent during this period.

Search data suggests that Queensland and Tasmania are also set to record a strong resurgence in bookings once restrictions ease in line with local conditions.

Importantly, regional areas are set to welcome significant numbers of intrastate visitors, with 75 per cent of bookings for places outside of capital cities helping valuable tourism dollars to flow to local businesses across hard-hit communities.

Featured image: iStock/miroslav_1

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