• A new survey released by the G’day Group shows up to 50% of domestic travellers are booking only 1-2 weeks in advance of their trip.
• 84% of respondents intend to travel domestically within the next 3-6 months.
• G’day Parks bookings already up 49% on 2021 and 85% on 2019, with surge expected from grey nomads now that Federal Election has taken place.
• QLD and NSW are the most popular winter destinations, followed by South Australia.

Caravan and holiday parks across northern parts of Australia are set to be inundated with tourists in the wake of the Federal Election, which delayed the first COVID-restriction-free nomad season in two years. 

However, the trend of last-minute bookings that emerged in response to uncertainty over travel restrictions shows no signs of dissipating according to data collected by Australia’s largest regional accommodation provider, the G’day Group. The company, which has around 300 properties across the country, recently surveyed nearly 11,000 members of its industry leading G’day Rewards loyalty program to understand winter travel intentions now that border restrictions have been removed.

60% of respondents indicated that they intend to travel over the next 3 months, with a further 23.5% indicating that they intend to travel within the next 3-6 months. However, despite having strong intentions to travel, many are still waiting until the last minute to book, with nearly 50% of those surveyed indicating they plan to book only 1-2 weeks before their trip.

G’day Group Chief Executive Officer Grant Wilckens said that despite a delayed start to ‘nomad season’, bookings were already well ahead of last year with a last-minute surge expected to make it one of the busiest seasons on record.

“Each election year, we see a delay in winter travel as grey nomads stay home to vote before hitting the road. However, after two years of travel uncertainty and lockdowns, we’re expecting it to be a massive nomad-season as more Aussies hit the road and head north in search of sun,” he said.

“We’re already seeing bookings in our northern G’day Parks up nearly 50% on last year and 85% when compared with the last non-COVID year. With half of travellers indicating their intention to book at the last minute, we’re expecting big demand across these parks over winter.

“However, I would encourage those who were thinking about booking at the last minute not to wait. Parks are going to start filling up quickly now the election is behind us and they’re also balancing a huge lift in demand for long-term accommodation because of massive pressure in the housing market.”

“Obviously it’s really pleasing to see nomads hitting the roads again and exploring our backyard, but I’d encourage anyone thinking of doing so to plan ahead so you don’t miss out.”

According to the survey Queensland and New South Wales are the most popular travel destinations over the winter months, with 45% of respondents indicating they intend to travel to one or both of these states, followed by South Australia (37%), Victoria (33%) and WA (27%).

Intended length of trips were mixed with 41% indicating they intend to travel for one month or between one and three months, 26% intending to travel for a week and 20% intending to travel for more than three months.

Media enquiries: Brittany Harmer, Corporate Communications Manager | 0415 655 191, brittany.harmer@discoveryparks.com.au.

About G’day Group

Founded in 2004 with three caravan parks in WA, G’day Group is now Australia’s leader in regional accommodation experiences with more than 340 properties across the country.

G’day Group operates more than 90 holiday parks and resorts under the Discovery Parks and Resorts brand, with properties in iconic regional destinations, including Kings Canyon, Rottnest Island and the world famous El Questro. The Group is also home to G’day Parks, a network of 240+ independently owned, licensed parks and the G’day Rewards loyalty program, which has 260,000 paid members.

Beyond holiday parks and resorts, the Group owns Wikicamps, Australia’s largest regional travel community and the #1 paid app in the App Store with more than 300k monthly active users, as well as Bookeasy, a specialist provider of booking management systems and technology solutions to leading destination management authorities in Australia and New Zealand (operating as BookIt).

G’day Group has property assets valued at $2 billion and is on track to become a $2.5 billion business by 2026. The company is majority owned by Australian Retirement Trust and founder and CEO Grant Wilckens is a Board Director of the South Australian Tourism Commission and former Chair of the Caravan Industry Association of Australia.