Wotif have announced their Aussie Town of the Year winner and finalists for 2022 and Batemans Bay has made the top 10 in the country.
Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Mat Hatcher told East Coast Radio it's great news for the region. "No other town in Australia has got a record like that," Mayor Hatcher said with a smile. "Batemans Bay is one of those places, I think if you live here, you've known for years it's a special gem," he went on.
"We've always tried to keep it to ourselves but it's starting to get a name for itself and get out there so the rest of the country is going to know very soon and we'll start seeing that hopefully with tourism hitting town a lot more after lockdowns and COVID restrictions end."
The Wotif review of the Bay says: Crystal-blue waters and a laid-back community make Batemans Bay the perfect place to slow down and connect with nature, all while supporting a deserving region. If you visit between September and November, be sure to check out nearby Meroo National Park for some of the best whale watching on the NSW South Coast.
Wotif CEO, Daniel Finch said of the winner and the finalists:
With many border and travel restrictions easing, 2022 is looking like a fantastic year for holidaying in Oz. In fact, 88% of Aussies planning to travel this year intend to do so within Australia, with 71% keen to travel interstate* – something that, for many of us, has been off the cards for much of the past two years.
Here at Wotif, we’re stoked to be able to help Aussie travellers get back to exploring this incredible country of ours. That’s why, for the fifth year in a row, we’ve crunched the numbers to find the top 10 Australian destinations for the year. Each one offers the perfect mix of great value and awesome experiences.
The winners are:
The 2022 winners were in order of place:
1st.... Launceston, TAS Caloundra, QLD
Tamworth, NSW
Yarra Valley, VIC
Adelaide Hills, SA
Bright, VIC
Hervey Bay, QLD
Halls Gap, VIC
9th... Batemans Bay, NSW
Busselton, WA
*Wotif research commissioned in collaboration with YouGov. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1010 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20 – 24 January 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australian adults (aged 18+).
The 2022 Wotif Aussie Town of the Year Awards are based on a data index examining each destination’s affordability, accommodation, traveller interest and reviews on Wotif.com from January 2021 – September 2021.
image by South Coast Pix
