Holiday Costs Survey and Statistics 2023

How much are Australians spending on domestic and overseas holidays? 

We surveyed 1,000 Australians aged 18 years and over to find out about Australians’ attitudes and beliefs towards holiday costs in our latest survey. 

We also compared these results to the Average Holiday Cost Statistics 2020 to understand trends from 2020 when a similar survey was conducted. 

For insight into what Australians are spending on domestic and international holidays, check out our survey results below.

Australians are set to spend more than $9.1 billion on travel in 2023 as the tourism industry continues to rebuild as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [1]

And an increase in holiday-related spending (on transport, hotels, cafes and restaurants) has also led to an increase in household spending year on year. [2]

With a record amount of annual leave saved, many Australians are choosing to travel internationally during peak holiday periods, especially in June, July and August throughout the summer months in the northern hemisphere. [3]

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

A majority of Australians (85%) surveyed have been on a holiday in the last five years. 

More than 90% of 18-27 year olds surveyed have been on holiday in the last five years.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

*Only respondents who said they’d been on holiday in the last five years were asked this question.

Nearly 35% of Australians surveyed have been on a holiday in the past 12 months. 

Close to 40% of female respondents have been on holiday in the past year. 

Nearly 14% of 18-27 year olds surveyed had been on 4 or more holidays in the last 12 months.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

More than 35% of Australian respondents say they stick to a budget when planning a  holiday but it’s fine if they go over said budget. 

More than 45% of 18-27 year olds surveyed say it’s fine if they go over their budget when planning a holiday. 

More than 40% of respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years) only booked within their budget. 

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

Nearly 60% of Australian respondents typically budget between $1,000 - $5,000 per person for a week-long domestic holiday. This result is consistent with the average cost of a domestic trip from our previous survey in 2020. [4]

Out of the 18-27 year olds surveyed, 10% said they would budget between $5,000 - $10,000 per person for a week-long domestic holiday.  

More than 55% of respondents (who had not been on holiday in the past five years), budget less than $1,000 per person for a week-long domestic holiday.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

More than 50% of Australian respondents said they typically budget between $1,000 - $5,000 per person for a week-long international holiday. Nearly two-thirds of Australians would budget the same amount per person for a week-long domestic holiday. 

Nearly 30% of Australians said they would budget between $5,000 - $10,000. 

More than 30% of respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years) said they would budget less than $1,000 per person for a week-long international holiday.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

Nearly 50% of Australian respondents said they spent the most on accommodation. This was closely followed by flights/transport. 

More than 40% of respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years) spent the most money on flights. While only 34% of respondents said they spent the most on accommodation. This is 14% less than respondents who went on a holiday in the past five years.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

Just over 30% of Australians surveyed spend 6-12 months saving for a holiday. While 20% of respondents don’t save for holidays at all. 

More than 40% of 18-27 year old respondents save for 6-12 months. 

Out of the respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years), 35% saved for a holiday for more than a year compared to only 19% of Australians overall. 

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

Nearly 60% of Australians surveyed book a domestic holiday one to six months in advance. 

Out of the respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years), 17% booked a domestic holiday more than a year in advance.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

More than 40% of Australians surveyed booked an international holiday one to six months in advance, while 35% of Australian respondents booked 6-12 months in advance. 

Nearly 10% of 18-27 year old respondents booked an international holiday less than a month in advance. 

More than 45% of respondents from Western Australia booked an international holiday 6-12 months in advance. 

Out of the respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years) 34% booked an international holiday more than a year in advance.

^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%

Nearly 40% of Australian respondents said cost was the most important factor when choosing a holiday destination. This was followed by activities/sightseeing and relaxation/leisure time. 

Out of the female respondents, 23% said the most important factor to them was relaxation/leisure time when choosing a holiday destination. 

Nearly 30% of 18-27 year olds surveyed said the most important factor was activities/sightseeing in a holiday destination.

Nearly 50% of respondents (who had not been on a holiday in the past five years) said cost was the most important factor when choosing a destination.

Nearly 40% of Australian respondents said that cost was the most important factor when choosing a holiday destination.

In this survey, the largest difference in respondents' attitudes towards cost was between Australians who had been on holiday in the past five years and Australians who hadn’t.

Nearly 39% of respondents who travelled overseas in the last five years said they stick to a budget on holiday but are fine if they go over. Whereas 43% of respondents (who hadn’t been on a holiday in the last five years) stuck to their budget.

Australians who had travelled overseas in the last five years were more likely to allocate $1,000 - $5,000 for week-long domestic and international holidays whereas those who hadn’t were more likely to allocate less than $1,000 per person.