Australians have chosen holiday destinations for Easter such as Palm Cove in far north Queensland. Source: Supplied
HOTELS and holiday parks have had a last minute surge in bookings over Easter as holidaymakers waited to see what the weather was going to do.
Travel experts said people were increasingly sitting on their hands to make sure their money was well spent.
Capital cities around Australia have continued to be the most popular destinations for people booking trips over Easter.
Lastminute.com.au general manager Kirsty Labruniy said Sydney was number one followed by Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
"With the unseasonal warm weather in Sydney and Melbourne in recent weeks, its possible that people in these cities are choosing to holiday closer to home this long weekend," she said.
She said bookings for the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast were slightly down on last year but bookings for Cairns, Palm Cove and Hamilton Island had risen.
Wotif.com Australia general manager Joachim Holte said there had been rises in bookings for the Sunshine Coast hinterland and Coolangatta in Queensland, Newcastle, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley in NSW, Geelong, Lakes Entrance, the Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs in Victoria."
Geelong's annual Big Easter Egg Hunt is a big hit with families so it's not surprising that more and more people are staying in Geelong for their Easter getaway," he said.
In South Australia Port Lincoln and Clare had seen a rise in bookings while Broome and the Margaret River were popular in Western Australia.
Queensland's caravan and tourist parks received a flurry of last minute bookings and inquiries as people held off on making a decision because of the weather.
Caravanning Queensland CEO Ron Chapman said forecasts of warm and mostly fine conditions had spurred a rush for the last remaining vacancies at tourist hot spots.
"Easter is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for caravan and tourist parks as it is seen as the final fling before the arrival of winter," he said.
"The industry is expecting a big boost over Easter as road travellers finally get the chance to get out and enjoy some of Queensland's top destinations.
"Qantas also said capital cities had proven the most popular destinations this Easter, with Sydney number one followed by Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and the Gold Coast.
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