Accommodation Australia hopeful sector 'will surpass 2024 performance’ after Jan. boost

Australia’s accommodation sector has welcomed strong momentum leading into 2025, with forward bookings up 4.6% in December and 4% in January when compared to the year prior. Additionally, year-to-date occupancy for 2024 finished at 71.4%, up 1.8% on 2023.

Accommodation Australia CEO James Goodwin believes this positive trajectory “suggests occupancy will surpass 2024 performance” over the coming year.

"Our accommodation sector really is second to none and we see people prioritising a holiday and keen to get out and experience new things this holiday period,” he continued.

"This is a particularly good result given international tourists are still at only 88% of pre-COVID levels and family budgets are obviously tight with cost-of-living pressures.”

Based on Forward Bookings data sourced from STR Global, the capital city that experienced the most growth in forward bookings was Hobart, up 20% for December and 18% for January.

"Heading into January, Sydney is up 2%, Melbourne 3%, Brisbane 4%, Adelaide 1% and Hobart up 18 percent," said Goodwin.

"Importantly, this is broad-based demand not tied to specific events like an international concert extravaganza - like we saw with Taylor Swift in February 2024 and we hope this should continue through 2025.”

Across the two months, the only two decreases in occupancy occurred in Melbourne in December and Adelaide in January, with both dropping only 1%. Adelaide’s drop followed on from a strong 8% increase in forward bookings in December.

The strong performance follows shortly behind the unveiling of eeger, a new $10 million careers and training platform funded by Austrade and developed and managed by Accommodation Australia. Once launched in March, the platform will function as a central hub for education, training and career development for Australia’s travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors.

James Goodwin, CEO of Accommodation Australia, believes now “is the right time for this project,” with the three industries collectively projected to grow 6% in the next five years and 12% in the next 10 years.

“[The] estimated 55,000 new roles to be filled in the next five years [makes] Tourism, Hospitality, and Travel among the top five industries for projected employment growth,” continued Goodwin.

“The industry-led platform aims to inspire and empower job seekers, support employers, and strengthen the visitor economy workforce at every stage of their journey.”

Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell added, “the Albanese Labor Government is proud to partner with Accommodation Australia to deliver on our commitment to the tourism and hospitality industry to make it easier for Australian businesses to find staff and provide greater opportunities for workers.”

To learn more about eeger, click here.