Top regional destinations in Australia revealed as post-pandemic travel booms

The number of Aussies heading to the country's regional holiday hotspots has surged compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, according to new data.

The latest DSpark report shows visits by Australian travellers to regional areas were higher between December 2022 and May 2023 than they were pre-Covid.

"Despite the pandemic ending, the trend for Australians to explore their own backyard has increased," Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said

Read on to see the 10 most popular regional tourism destinations.

The Central Coast of NSW was the 10th most popular regional destination by number of visitors.

Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the central coast was 2 per cent more popular in the most recent summer.

The centre of NSW, comprising Orange, Dubbo and Surrounds was the 9th most popular regional destination.

Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the Centre of the state with its expansive farms and tableland charms was 9.4 per cent more popular in the most recent summer.

The iconic Great Ocean Road, along with however many of the original "twelve apostles" are still standing, was the 8th most popular regional destination by number of visitors.

The Great Ocean road is 5.8 per cent more popular than it was before the pandemic.

Victoria's Mornington Peninsula comes in at number 7 on the list of most popular regional destinations.

A hop, skip, and a jump from Melbourne, the peninsula was 10 per cent more popular than its pre-pandemic level.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so the years when Western Australia was locked off to the rest of the country must have worked wonders for WA tourism.

The biggest growth in popularity within the Top 10 regional destinations post-COVID amongst Australians was seen in Australia's South West region in WA, namely Margaret River and surrounds, with visitation nearly 16 per cent above pre-COVID levels.

The wining and dining hotspot locked in 6th place in the country.

The sleepy Sunshine Coast was the fifth most popular regional destination in the last year.

For Queensland residents, their most popular regional holiday spot in the whole of Australia was close to home, on the Sunshine Coast, with visits by Qld residents nearly 10 per cent above pre-Covid levels, and an average stay of 2.7 nights.

The NSW Hunter region was the fourth most popular regional destination.

And 7.5 per cent more Australians got the memo, with visitation swinging up since the pandemic.

The the most popular destinations for Australians travelling interstate was the Gold Coast.

On a national level, the "beach and skyscraper" capital of Queensland was the third most popular region to visit.

It was a massive 14 per cent more popular than it was before the pandemic.

The second most popular regional destination was the South Coast of NSW, with Shoalhaven (Nowra and surrounds) the most visited area within that region.

Visitation was 3.1 per cent above pre-COVID levels, and the average stay was 3.1 nights.

For all Australians, regardless of age group, the most popular regional tourism destination was North Coast NSW, with Byron Bay/Ballina the most visited area within that region.

Visitation was 4.2 per cent above pre-Covid levels and the average stay was 3.4 nights.