New research shows one in four Australians are planning on taking extra three days of leave between Easter Monday and ANZAC Day to have a 'super break' in April, providing a major boost to the visitor economy.

According to an NRMA survey, 26 per cent of people intend to take the three days off mid-week to maximise their holidays, which also coincides with the autumn school break.

Among those surveyed, 54 per cent will holiday in NSW, while 77 per cent of domestic travellers will embark on road trips.

Expedia and Wotif's April Travel Outlook report has forecast that April will be the most popular holiday period of the year, with more than a third of Australians (38 per cent) planning to travel during the month to make the most of the extended break.

According to the report, Merimbula on the NSW South Coast was the number one trending domestic destination for Easter, with accommodation searches up 70 per cent.

Other trending NSW destinations were Byron Bay and the Central Coast (both up 51 per cent), while searches for Port Stephens were up 36 per cent.

NSW dominated the top 10 most popular destinations for lodging searches in April, with Newcastle, Port Stephens, Jervis Bay, Byron Bay, Central Coast, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong all featuring on the list.

Busy Easter for Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport is preparing for a bustling Easter and school holiday period, with 2.5 million passengers expected to travel through its terminals from 9-29 April 2025.

On the domestic front, 1.5 million passengers are expected to pass through the T2 and T3 Domestic terminals, more than three per cent up on 2024.

During the period one million passengers will pass through the T1 international terminal, making it the busiest Easter school holiday period since 2019, and a nine percent increase on the same period in 2024.

The peak travel days will be Thursday 17 April for domestic and Friday 18 April for international.

With 130,000 more passengers than last year, this represents a more than five per cent increase on passenger volumes during the same 21-day April school holiday period in 2024.

Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said: "We're gearing up for our busiest April school holidays in six years and have boosted our staffing to assist the hundreds of thousands of passengers taking a break over Easter.

“The ongoing growth in passenger numbers reflects the introduction of new services and increased capacity from airlines and we're looking forward to welcoming more flights and new airline partners throughout 2025."

NSW comes out on top as the most popular state for Australians to visit during April according to research from the Tourism & Transport Forum.

Airlines prepare for bumper Easter period

Between the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends nearly two million passengers are expected to travel through Qantas and Jetstar’s domestic and international networks.

More than 840,000 are booked to travel through the Easter long weekend alone, while Easter Thursday, Easter Monday and the Sunday after Anzac Day are shaping up as the busiest days, with 200,000 passengers expected to travel each day.

Qantas Domestic chief executive Markus Svensson said the Easter long weekend was expected to be one of the airline's busiest in recent years.

Virgin Australia has also reported strong Easter holiday travel demand, with more than 400,000 seats scheduled across its network in the lead up to and during the Easter long weekend. The airline said demand for flights over the period had increased significantly in comparison to last year.

Travel major driver of Easter spending

New data from the Australian Retailers Association in collaboration with Roy Morgan shows travel will be one of the major drivers of retail spending for Easter.

ARA Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown said: “Australians continue to choose to spend their hard-earned dollars on quality time with their loved ones during special events, travel and projects around the home."

The data projected 4.55 million people - 100,000 more Australians than last year - will use the Easter break for travel this year, with an estimated spend of $11.1 billion.

Older generations are embracing the opportunity for an adventure, with one million people aged 50-64 and one million people aged 65 and over saying they will be travelling over Easter this year.

“Easter is also a perfect time to take a much-needed break with family and friends, which is what we are seeing Australians do this year,” Ms Brown said.

“Retailers in popular holiday destinations are well-prepared for the Easter school holiday crowds, which will in turn add a further boost to the sector."

The popularity of road trips among Australians has been reinforced by NRMA research showing 77 per cent of holidaymakers will be driving over Easter.

Destination NSW recently added nine electric vehicle-friendly road tripping itineraries to its consumer-facing website VisitNSW.com.

They include the locations of EV charging stations along the routes so drivers can enjoy their journey without range anxiety.

Promoting EV-friendly road trips aligns with a recommendation in the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy Review to position NSW as a leader in sustainable tourism through initiatives such as the development and promotion of EV experiences.

The EV-friendly road trips are:

  • Central Coast and Hunter Valley – a U-shaped 257km trip from Newcastle to Maitland
  • Grand Pacific Drive – a 200km journey along the coastline from Sydney to Jervis Bay
  • Greater Blue Mountains Drive – a 283km round trip from Sydney to the Blue Mountains
  • Southern Highlands to the South Coast – a 210km journey through the highlands and coast
  • Kosciuszko Alpine Way – a 171km drive through the Snowy Mountains
  • Southern Tablelands – a 100km trip taking in Goulburn and surrounds
  • Classic Country – a 422km drive through the Southern and Riverina Murray tourism regions
  • Legendary Pacific Coast – an 819km, multi-day journey along the Pacific Highway
  • Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Drive – a 406km trip through Australia’s southeastern corner.

Learn more here.