In an era of screen fatigue and inbox overload, Australians are doing something marvellously old-fashioned again: going on tours. Yes, tours — the sort that involve a guide who knows the name of the local fishmonger, a bus that doesn’t need charging every ten minutes, and fellow travellers who become lifelong dinner party anecdotes.
The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has just released its annual Australians on Holiday report, and it reads like a love letter to the guided holiday. In 2024, over 6.9 million Australians packed their bags and passports, kissed their dogs goodbye, and jetted overseas for a holiday. That’s a 21% leap from last year and a gentle but unmistakable nudge toward the halcyon days before “PCR test” entered the travel lexicon.
And where are we going? Asia, mostly — and with gusto. Nearly four million Australians headed to the region in 2024, with Japan and South Korea posting a 73% spike in Aussie arrivals. That’s not a typo. Seventy. Three. Per cent.
“The appetite for travel is back, and touring is leading the charge,” said Brett Jardine, CATO’s ever-calm Managing Director. “Australians are embracing the structure, safety and cultural richness that touring offers — especially in destinations where language, logistics or labyrinthine railway systems can be a challenge.”
If Jardine sounds like he’s holding in a celebratory cheer, he probably is. According to CATO’s data, which pulls from ABS numbers, proprietary research and financial benchmarking from its accredited members, Australians aren’t just travelling more; they’re travelling smarter.
Structured travel, the kind offered by tour operators large and small, has emerged as the backbone of Australia’s outbound recovery. Land-based multi-day tours surged by 48% in passenger volume despite a modest dip in average spend, which likely has more to do with savvy package inclusions than penny-pinching.
And it’s not just the over-60s dusting off their luggage tags. The report notes a sharp rise in younger travellers — especially under-40s — opting for active, adventure-focused tours. Meanwhile, the 50+ market continues to show deep affection for small group, premium and luxury rail journeys, where the only thing more polished than the service is the silverware.
Trips under 14 days remain the bread and butter of outbound leisure travel, with short breaks of under a week up 31%, and 7–14 day getaways growing 27% year-on-year. These bite-sized escapes reflect a national mood: eager, spontaneous and still slightly scarred by the memory of sudden border closures.
Perhaps most impressively, nearly 1.7 million Australians travelled with CATO members last year, shy of one in four outbound holidaymakers. That’s not bad for an industry often described as “niche.”
CATO’s 2024 chapter wasn’t just about travel trends. The organisation also launched its Touring Academy, a first-of-its-kind digital training platform designed to educate travel agents on the nuances of modern touring.
“We didn’t want this to be another tick-a-box training course,” Jardine explained. “The Touring Academy is about elevating the profession — giving agents deep product understanding, destination insight, and the confidence to sell tours with pride.”
Judging by the results, it’s working. Over 1,000 agents enrolled in 2024 alone, with more than 11,000 modules completed and 600 certifications awarded. That’s not just good for agents — it’s gold for consumers.
In a move that would make any event planner reach for their Montblanc, CATO is preparing to host its inaugural CATO Summit in Sydney on 12 June 2025. The invite-only event, pitched squarely at the upper echelons of the industry, promises keynote sessions, strategy panels, and—no doubt—some spirited networking over fine wine and even finer war stories.
Beneath all this data, however, is something far more meaningful. Australians are once again saying yes to meaningful travel—the sort that goes beyond the selfie and the checklist. They’re hungry for connection, depth, and guided reassurance along the way and turn to tour operators to provide it.
There’s something rather poetic about it, too. In a world spinning faster than most of us can keep up with, the guided tour remains one of the last bastions of deliberate travel, where someone else worries about the luggage and all you have to do is show up, breathe in, and listen to the stories.
It seems that CATO has weathered the storm and is helping Australians find their way out of it, one thoughtfully curated itinerary at a time.
To learn more, visit the Council of Australian Tour Operators.
By My Thanh Pham
