Europe has stereotypically been the place for Aussies to head during winter.
But with the war in the Middle East creating headaches, anxiety, and panic for travellers flying through Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Qatar, Aussies are looking at a region much closer to home this winter for a warm holiday.
New data from Booking.com found that 22 of the top 30 destinations Aussies were looking at for July are in the Asia Pacific.
Bali’s Seminyak was number one on the list, with Indonesia nabbing a whopping nine spots. Japan, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand also featured in Booking.com’s data.
Angus Kidman, travel expert from consumer group Finder, told Yahoo Lifestyle it’s no surprise Aussies have pivoted to Asia for a winter getaway, as 26 per cent have had to cancel a trip in 2026 due to flight concerns.
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“People are worried after the Middle Eastern crisis, and points when there were no flights at all going through that area, that if they book on an airline to fly through that area, it could all just disappear at short notice,” he said.
“That’s really what’s behind driving down the interest in Europe.”
Angus said flights going through the Middle East, as well as Singapore and Tokyo, which offer an alternative route to Europe, have become very expensive and mostly full.
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He added that this was also the case with flights to the United States, where border entry worries have led people to consider other options.
“All of these concerns mean it just starts making sense to look at other places closer to home, and that naturally brings Southeast Asia into play,” he explained.
Where are Aussies going in winter that isn’t Europe?
In March and April, Booking.com tracked all the destinations that Aussies were looking into for early July holidays.
Here’s the top 10 places:
While the UK and France were still incredibly popular, the only other European entrants were Rome, Italy (17), Barcelona, Spain (24), Amsterdam, Netherlands (26), Athens, Greece (29), and Sorrento, Italy (30).
New York City came in 19th, but the rest of the list was made up of nations in the Asia Pacific, with Malaysia and Fiji also being named.
You can still escape the winter blues in Indonesia and there are plenty of places to explore that aren’t Kuta or Seminyak like Nusa Dua.
Angus told Yahoo Lifestyle the Asia Pacific had a reputation for being a cheaper holiday compared to the northern hemisphere, as you don’t have to fly as far, and day-to-day living is traditionally much cheaper.
He did say you could spend a fortune if you really wanted to, but places such as Bali have always been “really affordable”.
This shift to Asia is also backed up by data from eSIM brand HolaFly.
Instead of buying a physical SIM card for your phone, travellers are opting for digital ones, and HolaFly has noticed a 27.5 per cent increase in purchases in Japan between 2025 and 2026.
The Philippines saw a 24.2 per cent increase, and Korea saw a 29.4 per cent rise.
Can you nab a last-minute deal to fly to Europe?
If you wanted keep your winter travel plans traditional and head to Europe, don’t hold your breath for incredible flight deals to pop up in the coming weeks.
Angus said the last-minute deal for overseas trips no longer exists, so if you wanted a mid-year trip now, it may be best to look domestically.
“People should still be planning ahead,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“You should be thinking about what you want to be doing at Christmas by now. You should be locking that in, because if you haven’t locked that in, it’s going to get hard.”
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