5 Travel Trends To Influence You In 2023

Travel is back in a big way, and after years of hoping we could go back to a normal world, in 2023 we welcome “the no-normal".

As we travel head-first into another new year, there is a new wave of surprising travel trends that Aussies will be embracing in 2023.

Defined as “the no-normal", travel in 2023 is all about breaking routine and searching for experiences without compromises.

The research from Expedia Group was sourced from thousands of travellers and industry professionals across 17 countries, proving there is no one-size-fits-all travel in 2023.

Here are the five most surprising trends.

1. Culture capitals

No longer being confined to a five-kilometre radius or exploring national parks with no people in sight, we are looking more for city escapes where art and culture festivities are getting back to full swing.

Sydney was the only Australian city to make the top 10 culture capitals, with WorldPride set to ignite the city come February. It is in good company with Edinburgh , Lisbon , Tokyo , Dublin , New York City , Dubai , Montreal , Munich and Bangkok rounding out the list.

Cityscape of Sydney Harbour with the opera house to the left and the harbour bridge to the right — Sydney was the only Australian city to make the top 10 culture capitals, coming in at number 6.

Most of the destinations seeing the largest increases are all culture-rich cities with events like Edinburgh Fringe or the cherry blossom festivals at the forefront.

Cityscape of Edinburgh at sunset or sunrise — Art and culture festivals like Edinburgh Fringe entice travellers in 2023.

2. Concrete holidays

From world-class stadiums to vibrant new dining and lifestyle hubs, the energy and investment being fuelled into Australia’s major cities is profound.

In fact, there’s a whole suite of new hotels on the horizon in Australia that are highly anticipated. Think, The Ritz-Carlton , Mandarin Oriental and The Motley in Melbourne, 25hours Paddington, Capella and the W in Sydney, Rosewood Hotel and Dorsett Hotel in Brisbane and TRYP by Wyndham Pulteney Street and Vibe Hotel in Adelaide.

Cityscape of Melbourne's skyline — The energy and investment being fuelled into Australia’s major cities is profound.

Sydney and Melbourne are set to benefit most from this revitalisation, with both cities already seeing strong growth – Melbourne accommodation demand increased close to 130 per cent in the last year, followed by Sydney at almost 90 per cent.

Whilst capital cities are at the top of the list thanks to new hotels, major hubs such as the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Albury, Perth, the Grampians, the Blue Mountains, and the Central Coast are also trending as convenient local escapes.

Cityscape of Sydney's skyline — Both Sydney and Melbourne are already seeing strong growth in accommodation demand.

3. Hay-cations

Rustic getaways are also on the rise, as travellers crave private stays with abundant space and exhilarating views.

Cue the hay-cation, offering an intimate escape in the Aussie countryside from converted barns to rural farmhouses.

Front of a cottage in Australian countryside — Travellers are heading to the countryside for more intimate holidays.

According to Stayz , demand for holiday homes in some of the country’s top rural destinations is up by more than 90 per cent. Interest in mountainside destinations with breathtaking views of lakes and rivers is also up by 50 per cent.

Man stokes fireplace in cosy farm stay. — Get cosy next to a fireplace and you’ll never want to leave. (Image: Renee Thurston)

The top five Stayz Hay-cation properties include:

The Maple Lodge | Robertson, NSW
Coolabah FarmHouse | Bungonia, NSW
Rushy Creek Farm | Karrindale, WA
Arbor Escape | Upper Colo, NSW
Fawlty Farm | Taylor Bay, VIC

Two chairs sit beside a pool on lush green grass at a rustic farmhouse in Australia — Travellers crave private stays with abundant space and exhilarating views.

Not only that, but travellers are also exploring charming locations from high alpine places to farm-style escapes. Bright in High Country Victoria, Echuca in Victoria’s Central Murray region, and Yeppoon on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast are among the destinations that have seen the highest demand increase for farm-style escapes, and are also featured in our list of top 50 Aussie towns.

Inside the backyard of The Bootmaker's Cottage in Birregurra, Victoria, Australia — The Bootmaker’s Cottage in Birregurra is a travel favourite.

4. Foodie-menities

More and more travellers are seeking accommodation options that have kitchen facilities to cook their meals at home while away.

Buying from local supermarkets or farmer’s markets in the destination and cooking each meal can save up to $700 per trip.

Outdoor kitchen and dining area in Yarramalong — Cooking at your accommodation can save you massively.

Cooking with your friends and family is a popular group holiday activity with almost half of Aussie travellers saying this is something they value while travelling. The top cooking appliances Australians love to see in their holiday homes are outdoor kitchens, professional coffee machines, and deep or air fryers.

When it comes to location, alfresco dining is the most popular with 67 per cent of Aussies saying it’s the preferred place for their meals when on holiday.

Outdoor dining area and woodfired oven in Yarramalong — Alfresco dining is the traveller’s top pick.

5. Set-jetters

We are definitely all guilty of watching a new TV show or movie and swiftly adding a new destination to the bucket list. And this is going to be a big travel trend in 2023.

Over two-thirds of Australians have considered booking a trip to destinations after seeing them on streamed shows or movies, whilst almost a third have actually booked.

Cityscape of New York City — Hands up if you’ve wanted to go to NYC because of a TV show or movie? (Image: Jens Honore)

From cooking shows to fantasies, dramas to documentaries, a quarter of Australians say the influence of streaming services on their travel plans has increased in the last 12 months.

Paris is of most interest to Australians based on the influence of streaming services (we’re looking at you Emily), followed by New Zealand , New York, Hawaii and Italy .

New Zealand mountainscape with person in the forefront — New Zealand is just as beautiful in real life as it is on screen. (Image: Spencer Wells)

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

5 surprising travel trends that will influence you in 2023