Today, leading travel app Wotif named Albury as the 2023 Aussie Town of the Year, as trends show Aussie travellers are carving out their own long weekends on the calendar, opting for shorter, more frequent domestic trips.
Now in its sixth year, the Wotif Aussie Town of the Year Awards recognise trending Aussie destinations for the year ahead and is based on a Wotif data index that looks at accommodation affordability, quality, and traveller satisfaction**.
AlburyCity Mayor Kylie King said she was honoured that Albury was chosen as the Wotif Aussie Town of the Year, recognising the unique experiences the region has to offer.
"Albury is both cosmopolitan and laidback, culturally connected and naturally abundant. Visitors can share in our stories at our surprising variety of galleries, museums, theatres and festivals. They can experience our culinary creativity with fresh local produce, in vibrant restaurants, and specialist whiskey and wine bars. They can immerse themselves in nature on our iconic Murray River and Lake Hume, through our vast hill vistas and trails, beautiful parks and gardens."
"I'd like to thank all our passionate accommodation and tourism operators who have worked hard to make the experience of visiting the Albury Wodonga region so memorable for travellers, and without whom this destination experience recognition wouldn't have been possible."
The awards come as 46% of Aussies plan to travel in April to take advantage of the public and school holidays*. Three-day-stays prove to be the new sweet spot for domestic holidays, with demand on Wotif growing by more than 30% in 2022, compared to 20211. Looking to the year ahead, almost half of Aussies (49%) plan to take short trips of up to 3 nights*, with many wanting to explore their own state. 44% of Aussies simply prefer short weekend trips, while another 44% are making this decision for financial reasons, as the rising cost of living impedes household budgets*.
"By all accounts, Aussies remain committed to travelling locally in 2023," says Wotif Managing Director, Daniel Finch. "While cost considerations are top of mind for everyone this year, it's clear travellers are not deterred and instead are prioritising accessible, experience-rich getaways. We know 29% of Aussies are open to travelling to new destinations this year to keep costs down*, and we hope by spotlighting these deserving destinations, all of which are extremely accessible, the awards inspire Aussies to explore and connect with regional destinations beyond the typical tried and tested."
2023 Wotif Aussie Town of the Year Award winners:
- Albury, NSW
- Bundaberg, QLD
- New Norfolk, TAS
- Port Lincoln, SA
- Ballarat, VIC
- Merimbula, NSW
- Toowoomba, QLD
- Dunsborough, WA
- Orange, NSW
- Echuca, VIC
To read more and see the latest travel deals from this year's winning destinations, head to www.wotif.com/aussieawards.
*About the research:
Wotif research commissioned in collaboration with YouGov. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1024 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19 – 22 February 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australian adults (aged 18+).
**About the 2023 Wotif Aussie Town of the Year Award index:
- Trending traveller interest: Based on accommodation searches on Wotif.com in 2022, compared to 2021
- Affordability: Based on the average daily rate for accommodation demand on Wotif.com from January to September 2022
- Accommodation: Based on accommodation quality and quantity on Wotif.com in 2022
- Reviews: Based on the average traveller review rating on Wotif.com for each destination in 2022
About Wotif
Wotif… it's Aussie for Travel. Wotif offers travellers access to accommodation, flights, packages, activities and car hire both locally and overseas, with verified accommodation reviews from almost two million Australian and New Zealand travellers.
