New data from Nielsen has revealed that travel marketing budgets are on the rise, jumping 8% compared to the last quarter, as 76% of Australian consumers planning to travel domestically in the next 12 months, and 52% looking to go overseas.

The new data sheds light light on Australia's top travel trends and the brands investing heavily to attract Australian tourists, leveraging Nielsen Consumer & Media View (CMV) and Nielsen Ad Intel.

"Australians’ love of travel continues to defy cost of living pressures, as shown by an 8% jump in travel ad spend this quarter. You can’t get a stronger indicator than that when it comes to how marketers and advertisers are spending in order to maximise ROI, forge lasting connections with brands and consumers, and do so in the most economical way possible," said Nielsen Ad Intel's Australia Commercial Lead, Rose Lopreiato.

According to the data, the 25 to 39 year old age group are most likely to travel domestically, with Sydney narrowly beating Melbourne as the preferred destination, followed by The Gold Coast, Regional NSW, then Brisbane. The 18 to 24 age group is most likely to travel overseas, with the UK being the top desired destination, followed by New Zealand, Japan, The USA and Indonesia.

The data shows that while most Australians are looking for a beach getaway when it comes to domestic travel, when they go overseas they prefer a trip involving plenty of sightseeing, followed by some rest and relaxation.

Qantas and Trip Advisor were revealed to be the most popular travel websites, with 5.82 million and 5.02 million users respectively in Q1 of 2024, while Booking Holdings Network was the third-largest platform in terms of users with 2.5 million.

Furthermore, 57% of all Australian consumers are now part of some sort of travel rewards scheme, with Qantas leading the market with a 45% share, followed by Virgin with 31%,

The travel and tourism industry spent more than $153 million on advertising in Australia in Q1, 2024, with TripADeal being the biggest spender, followed by Virgin Australia, then the Flight Centre-owned Ignite Travel.

"More than ever, brands need data that gives them the edge on their competition. That means going above standard demographic information, and understanding consumers, in this case travellers, as unique groups, who are motivated by more than just the urge to get away," said Nielsen’s Pacific Head of Advanced Analytics, Glenn Channel.