Australians are swapping winter woollies for resort wear, with Pacific island travel surging in 2026.
New Webjet booking data shows the Cook Islands is leading the rush. Flight bookings made from 1 January to 1 July 2026 rose 47 per cent against the same period last year. Vanuatu followed with a 38 per cent lift. Fiji rose 12 per cent, while Samoa gained 10 per cent.
This is more than a quick winter fling. It shows a clear change in how Australians want to spend their holidays. They want warm weather, an easy trip and fewer loose ends.
The Cook Islands result is the star of the show. It’s clear that lagoons, a slower pace, and better air links now give travellers another strong choice beyond the usual tropical favourites. Vanuatu is also back in fine form. Volcanoes, blue holes and a warm local welcome still make a very good sales pitch.
Fiji, meanwhile, keeps doing what Fiji does best: making family holidays look easy. It did not post the largest rise in flight bookings, but it won the package race by a wide margin.
Fiji leads the package charge
Webjet says Fiji holiday package bookings rose 70 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2026. That made Fiji its second most popular overseas package choice. Bali held first place, while Phuket ranked third.
Bali package bookings rose 36 per cent. Phuket gained 13 per cent. Flight demand was also strong in Asia, with Vietnam up 30 per cent and Bali up 21 per cent.
The lesson for the travel trade is plain. Australians still want to go abroad, but more of them want the sums done before they reach the checkout.
Booking flights and hotels together can cut down the work. It can also give travellers a clearer view of the full cost. At a time when the holiday budget gets more scrutiny than the hotel buffet, that matters.
Webjet says its customers save up to $420 on average when they book a flight-and-hotel package. It also charges zero Webjet booking fees on holiday packages. Payment fees may still apply depending on how a customer pays. Savings also vary by route, dates, trip length, group size and suppliers.
Affordable luxury takes off
The choice of hotel gives the best clue. The data shows that 90 per cent of Webjet package bookings made from 1 January to 1 July 2026 were for four- and five-star hotels.
Australians have not given up on luxury. They have simply become keener to buy it at the right price.
That creates a useful opening for airlines, hotels, tourism boards and travel agents. A well-made package can turn a loose wish for sunshine into a firm sale. It can also help spread demand across resorts, dates and local tours.
The gains mean more than full sun lounges. Tourism supports jobs, local shops, drivers, guides and family firms across the Pacific. More Australian guests can give these nations a welcome lift. Yet growth must be managed with care so that local people share the rewards.
The figures also show that island trips are no longer tied to a single shortlist. Bali still leads package sales. Fiji is close behind. The Cook Islands and Vanuatu are winning fresh notice.
There is a simple lesson here. Travellers want warmth, value and ease. Give them all three, and they seem quite happy to leave the office, the overcoat and perhaps even the group chat behind.
For the travel industry, island time is no longer just a mood. In 2026, it is serious business.
By: Soo James – © 2026.
Read Time: 3 minutes.
Author Bio:
There’s nothing rehearsed about Soo James, and that’s precisely the point. Malaysian by heritage, Sydney-schooled, she arrived at UNSW to study Arts, then took a left turn into IT, not out of ambition but out of curiosity. Somewhere among systems and schedules, she worked out what really held her attention: people, language, and the quiet spaces between them.
Writing followed naturally. Travel and lifestyle gave her room to observe, to listen, to notice the details others rush past. Soo writes the way good travellers move, watching the room before admiring the view, catching the gesture before chasing the headline.
At Global Travel Media, her stories don’t shout or sell. They linger. They slow you down, open a door, and gently suggest there’s more to see if you’re willing to look.
