Easter travel: Flights to Sydney most popular for New Zealand travellers in April

Kiwis are gearing up to get away this Easter but don’t want to fly too far according to recent data.

Sydney, Australia, is the most popular international destination for the April 7-10 Easter holiday travel according to data from online travel agency Webjet.com.au. This is a marked increase from last year, when it was the fifth most popular international destination.

Longer-haul destinations such as London, Manila and Delhi have dipped in popularity compared to April last year, falling off the list of the 10 most popular destinations. Adelaide and Cairns were also bumped from the top 10 list.

So, where are Kiwis flying instead?

Smaller Oceanian islands have gained favour with New Zealand travellers according to Webjet.com.au, with Fiji, Samoa and Rarotonga making the top 10 list.

Sydney is the most popular international destination for flights booked in January and February for travel next month, followed by Brisbane, Melbourne and Gold Coast.

Fiji takes the fifth place, followed by Samoa, London, Perth and Manila, with Rarotonga rounding out the top 10.

Ticket prices could partly be responsible for how popular each destination is, as the price of return, economy flights from Auckland to each destination tends to increase as popularity decreases.

Auckland to Sydney flights are an average of $395 in April, while Fiji flights are $960 and Manila are $1595.

However, a massive sale from AirAsia has flights from Auckland to Sydney for as low as $199.

Top 10 international destinations for April 2023

Sydney 15.2 per cent

Brisbane 14.6 per cent

Melbourne 14.1 per cent

Gold Coast 8.6 per cent

Fiji 5.2 per cent

Samoa 4.3 per cent

London 4 per cent

Perth 3.5 per cent

Manila 3.3 per cent

Rarotonga 2.2 per cent