Melbourne Is Our Favourite Place To Visit

The notion of ‘getting out of town’ typically evokes images of a road trip to another destination within a few hours drive.

However, the latest research suggests that that idea might be old fashioned.

According to the research, while many of the top holiday destinations for city-dwellers are nearby regions, residents of capital cities around the nation are choosing Sydney, but especially Melbourne as their preferred holiday spot.

Melbourne has taken the top holiday spot for the ninth year in a row, in fact.

The two cities are each among the top five domestic travel locations, and in some cases they are beating out destinations much closer to home.

Over the last year, for example, more Sydneysiders have taken a trip to Victoria’s capital than the Hunter Valley, or the South or Central Coasts. Only the NSW North Coast beat Melbourne for the number one position.

Melburnians were also more likely to visit Sydney than Gippsland, Wilsons Prom or Phillip Island.

Brisbanites, unlike their southern counterparts, did tend to stay a little closer to home, with their two top destinations being the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. That said, Sydney and Melbourne were made the top five.

Adelaide and Hobart locals both picked Melbourne for number one, ahead of anywhere in their home state.

Perth people followed the trend, with Sydney and Melbourne reigning over Geraldton, Ningaloo and Exmouth.

Roy Morgan Research group account director Angela Smith said the preference to visit a bigger or different city while on holiday instead of a smaller local town may be because residents want a more exciting experience.

“The regions surrounding the major metro areas need to understand what city-dwellers want in a destination and how they decide where to go,” Ms Smith said.

“Perhaps the challenge for regions near Adelaide and Hobart however may be that their target ‘city’ residents are often actually looking for more of a full city experience, not less, on their breaks.

“It’s clear Australia is a nation of metropolitans. Most of us live in cities, and they are also the most-visited destinations.

Melbourne has now been the nation’s most popular domestic holiday destination for nine consecutive years. Over 1.9 million Australians stayed at least one night in Melbourne during the past year.”