Oak Hotels has recently released its predictions for the top travel trends in 2023.
Longer Booking Windows
Oak Hotels said that the boost in the popularity of domestic travel during the pandemic had prompted Australians to re-think how far ahead they book travel. The hotel's reservations data demonstrates that lead times have been steadily increasing as more people are planning their travel beyond the traditional high seasons. Travellers are booking early to avoid disappointment, particularly for stays during the school holiday and Christmas periods. Many are also booking ahead to take advantage of airline package deals to counter rising living costs.
The New Long Weekend
The company has found that with more Australians working from home or remotely, increasing stays are being booked from Friday through to Monday, rather than the conventional Friday/Saturday weekend getaways. This is accompanied by travellers' increasing intolerance for busy airports and peak-hour traffic.
Prioritisation of Value
With interest rates and inflation on the rise, this has significantly taken a toll on household budgets. Although it has not burst the travel bubble, increasingly living costs has prompted people to look for greater value from their stays.
Oak Hotels stated that "whether that's looking for large apartment style accommodation to accommodate the entire family, opting to drive rather than fly to domestic destinations, or choosing accommodation with fully-equipped kitchens to avoid eating every meal out, people still want to make up for missed holidays and they're choosing to put value first when selecting where to stay."
Self-drive Holidays
More travellers are choosing to stay away from the chaos of airports, following reports of lost baggage and soaring prices, and instead are choosing to take self-drive holidays.
Growth in Group Travel
Multi-generational and group stays are on the rise as people continue to catch up on missed milestones and celebrations. "Gramping" is also gaining momentum, with more grandparents taking their grandchildren away on holiday to spend quality time together and give busy parents a break.
Bleisure is Back
Business travel is on the rise with more travellers adopting remote or hybrid working arrangements. Oak Hotels notes that they saw an increase in corporate travel during October 2022, with bookings continuing to grow month-on-month in number and in duration.
