Uluru our most expensive destination for overseas visitors
Heavy marketing of the Northern Territory’s Field of Light exhibition has helped Yulara, the gateway to Uluru, to become the most expensive destination for international travellers to Australia, charging an average $360 a night for a room last year.
The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index released today shows Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain was the second most expensive destination for global holiday-makers, charging an average $260 a night, followed by Sydney, Palm Cove and the Whitsunday Islands even though hotel and room rates fell 14% over the year to $222 after the Queensland islands bore the brunt of Cyclone Debbie.
Hotels.com said destinations closest to natural wonders and outdoor adventures recorded the highest hotel and resort accommodation price rises last year as international visitors, particularly Chinese and Americans, were drawn to Australia through heavy eco-tourism promotion.
Commercial Insights: Subscribe to receive the latest news and updates
Western Australia’s Exmouth booked the highest percentage jump of the top 50 destinations examined, with prices rising 12% to an average $213 a night as travellers flocked to Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park, which is famed for its whale sharks.
The NSW Hunter Valley scored well, with international tourists averaging $222 a night to make it the sixth most expensive destination. The NSW north coast retreat of Byron Bay also did well, rising 5% to average $207 a night. Queensland’s Port Douglas was popular, with an average room rate of $203 a night.
“Other gateways to natural wonders, such as Kangaroo Island, also recorded steep rises in accommodation prices, increasing 9% to an average of $188 a night,” Hotels.com says. “The steep increase in prices paid in Townsville last year follows a 13% increase in 2016, demonstrating growth in the region and the strength of reef tourism.”
But Melbourne, possibly because of the big increases in hotel development, did not perform that well as prices fell 1% from $174 in 2016 to $173 last year.
Offshore, Australian travellers paid the most last year for a hotel in Lahaina, Hawaii, where the average was $418 a night, a rise of 8%, followed by Mykonos, Greece, at $387 a night (up 9%) and Santorini, Greece (up 9%) with an average of $358 a night.
The cheapest accommodation for Australian travellers offshore was Kathu, Phuket in Thailand at an average $55 a night (up 16%). Other Asian destinations offering the cheapest deals were Phnom Penh, Cambodia at $72 a night (down 2%) and Manila, The Philippines (down 13%), where the average rate was $80 a night.
This article originally appeared on www.theaustralian.com.au/property.
