MEDIA ALERT: International Travelers Rush “Down Under” as Australia Reopens its Borders

• When Australia announced it would reopen its borders to vaccinated international travelers as of 21 February 2022, international flight bookings to Australia increased by 93%
• The top three Australian destinations for international travelers are Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane
• The U.K., India and Nepal are the top three countries traveling to Australia
• Australians are equally excited to go abroad, with India, the U.K. and USA leading the top ten international destinations

LANGLEY UK, 21 February 2022 – As of today, Australia welcomes back the world after nearly two years of closed borders, with the hope that vaccinated travelers will bring back billions of dollars to the domestic tourism industry. Travelport, a global technology company that powers bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide, today released the below trend data highlighting how Aussies and the rest of the world are celebrating the occasion.

Returning to Oz

• On 7^th February 2022, Australia announced that it would reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers as of 21 February 2022. On that day, international flight bookings to Australia increased by 93% when compared to the same day the week prior.
• 75% of international inbound bookings are for leisure travel.
• Solo travelers made up 35% of all Australian-bound flight bookings, the largest traveler segment. This may largely be comprised of Australian expats eager to return home, no longer needing to endure a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.
• Of all future inbound bookings, February 2022 is the most popular month to travel to Australia, making up 45% of all reservations.

• The top three Australian destinations for international travelers are Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
• The top countries traveling to Australia are:
  • United Kingdom
  • India
  • Nepal
  • USA
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • Sri Lanka
  • Germany
  • Philippines
  • Canada

Eager to Travel Abroad

• Aussies are also excited to start traveling abroad. The top ten international destinations for Australian travelers to visit are:
  • India
  • United Kingdom
  • USA
  • Fiji Islands
  • Sri Lanka
  • Philippines
  • Canada
  • Nepal
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
• Travelers are looking to stay longer as well. The average length of an international trip from Australia has increased to 32 days in 2022, ten days longer than the 22-day average in 2019.