New Big Red Group report finds Aussies on the search to discover themselves as wellness tourism evolves into an era of enrichment, driving tourism and experiences this Winter.

Travellers enter ‘era of enrichment’ as self-discovery drives tourism and experiences industry in Winter 2025

• A new report from Big Red Group, the nation’s largest experience network, shows a strong desire for enrichment, with demand for wellness and classes that offer self-improvement surging
• Winter 2025 saw strong returns for inbound tourism, up +47% year-on-year, building on huge growth already seen in 2024 (+89%) 
• Melbourne maintained top spot in the season’s experience destination hot list,  beating out key tourism destinations across Queensland, including Surfers Paradise and Cairns.
• Winter weather and direction of travel resulted in varied returns for Australia’s states and territories, as the Australian Capital Territory (+23.9%) and Victoria (+14.9%) prospered – the former experiencing a surge in eating out, high tea, and axe-throwing experiences.

27 August 2025 (Sydney, Australia): Australia’s tourism and experiences industry is backing a new ‘era of enrichment’ among domestic and international travellers this season –  as wellness tourism evolves to focus on immersive, mind-enriching experiences.

The Seasonal Experiences Index: Winter 2025 report from Big Red Group, Australia and New Zealand’s largest experience marketplace, shows demand for wellness grew by a over a third (+34%), alongside a rise in courses and classes (+11.2%) – marking a decisive shift away from traditional wellness activities toward soul-stimulating experiences.

The report, which analyses booking data from close to 200,000 experiences taken between 1 June and 10 August, supports the dawn of this new era, with third-party insights showing more than one in five travellers planned to get away for self-discovery this year.

Key findings within the report include: 

• Inbound tourism soared by a further +47% year-on-year – building on Winter 2024’s huge gains of +89% – as touch-downs boomed and bookings for theme parks,  zoos, whale and dolphin watching continued to prove top of to-do lists

• NSW gained ground this season, posting 1.6% growth, as demand for attractions and eating out grew. It comes after trending down for consecutive seasons and amid the state battling a barrage of extreme weather in winter, including Sydney recording its’ wettest August in nearly three decades.

• Victoria is vying for the nation’s number two tourism spot, hot on the heels of rival New South Wales, thanks to upticks across the Mornington Peninsula (+33%), Stonnington (+27.6%) and Yarra (+23.2%) regions.

• The nation remains a tale of two coasts as experience bookings remained concentrated along the Eastern Seaboard, with a dip across the Northern Territory (-11.8%), and Western Australia (-5.3%). 

• Aussies and internationals had a whale of a time sending whale and dolphin watching surging into the experience hotlist – animal experiences, including zoos and aquariums, also entered the hotlist, accounting for 12.4% of bookings for Winter.

• ‘Revenge travel’ is officially a thing of the past as Aussies demonstrate greater intentionality in favour of pursuits of passion, forgoing traditional experiences such as cruises (-27.4%), tours (-25.1%) and attractions (-3.4%) in favour of ‘pursuits of passion’.

• Australia finally enjoys a stronger snow season after two years of unusually warm and dry weather, with skiing and snow experiences more than doubling year-on-year (+109.8%).

Consumer confidence is climbing as recent RBA cuts stimulate a rise in recreation and culture spend, which is reflected in +4.9% growth in spend for gifting platform, RedBalloon as Aussies invest in experiences that deliver value.

 ¹ Hilton Hotel Group, 2025 Hilton Travel Trends, 2025

Commenting on the findings, David Anderson, CEO & Co-Founder at Big Red Group, said:

“We’re witnessing a pivotal shift in the Australian wellness tourism landscape, where the traditional pursuit of relaxation is evolving as travellers seek experiences that deliver personal growth and enrichment. This season suggests that people are no longer content with ‘passive’ experiences, rather they are searching for opportunities for self-discovery”

“As we look ahead to the rest of the year, this ‘era of enrichment’ will continue to redefine our industry, – particularly as the wellness market grows, anticipated to reach $45.7 million in revenue by 2030, according to Horizon Grand View Research. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for tourism and experience operators to move beyond conventional offerings and curate more meaningful experiences that truly resonate for seasons to come”.

To read the ‘Seasonal Experiences Index: Winter 2025’ report from Big Red Group, please click here.