Boomtown has launched new travel research on how Australians are exploring regional destinations and the factors that are influencing their choices.
Created in partnership with Australian Regional Insights, the media collective's report shows regional travellers spend more overall—an average of $5770 each holiday—$286 more than the average metro traveller.
They also prefer to shop local, with 72 per cent planning on spending money with local businesses, exceeding metro spending intentions of just 56 per cent.
They also take longer holidays, averaging 10.3 nights, compared to an average of 9.1 nights for metro travellers.
Regional residents are planning at least two holidays in 2026 to escape, relax and spend time with family. Around eight in 10 (81 per cent) are planning a domestic trip, while regional travellers are also more likely to take road trips (47 per cent) or caravan/ camping adventures (22 per cent).
Sydney and Newcastle are among the top 10 domestic destinations.
Australian Regional Insights Research and Insights Director Laura Allen said: "It's clear that regional Australians are seeking out opportunities to travel for relaxation, to spend quality time with their family and to experience something new.
"The data shows that domestic travel is top-of-mind for regional Australians in 2026, and with 145 different national destinations making the list of places to explore, it is driving dispersion and demand beyond the usual hot spots.
"Our research shows that regional Australians are also happy to spend more overall on their holidays, but they’re looking for value, actively seeking out packages, deals and clear itineraries."
There was a noticeable gap in the use of AI for travel planning - only 17 per cent of regional travellers had used AI tools to help book and plan a trip, compared to 29 per cent of metro.
Boomtown's media owner members include SCA, WIN, Seven, ARN, ACM, Nine NBN, 10 Regional, News Corp Australia, and Imparja.
The research was conducted online and through fieldwork between 15 September and 2 October 2025, with responses weighted to represent both regional Australia and the five capital cities.
Learn more here.
