Japan, Bali and New Zealand school holiday hotspots according to Griffith itravel

Of all the potential destinations, Japan and Bali have proven the most popular this time around, with New Zealand not far behind and cruise bookings on the hearts and minds of many for the not too distant future.

According to itravel manager Chontell Giannini, the industry is more in demand than the days before the pandemic.

"At the moment we're seeing a lot of people heading to Japan these school holidays - this is probably the most popular destination we've seen for family trips," Ms Giannini said.

"Bali has also been popular and is a cheaper option. I think now that European summer has ended most people are looking to go somewhere a little closer to home.

"The perk of Japan is it's seen as a safer, clean option and I think that's one of the reasons for its popularity. Japan has really taken off."

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Meanwhile, trips to New Zealand have also been favourable for families, particularly those with teenagers.

"The market for New Zealand has been a lot busier than what we've seen, but that also seems to have been the case with the travel industry overall since last year," she said.

"I think some of that has to do with the fact that restrictions are behind us. People are eager to get out and about.

"The January school holidays tend to be quite popular for cruising, but then there are also the cruises that go to Europe during the warmer months over there. It's interesting how much cruise bookings have picked up - we're already doing bookings for next year and I have no doubt flights overseas will follow suit. We're already making bookings for the Europe 2024 summer now.

"It's wonderful to see such demand for travel in our area," Ms Giannini said.

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