The top 5 travel trends on the Sunshine Coast

AMERICA, Canada and Bali are among the Sunshine Coast's favourite travel destinations.

Flight Centre Sunshine Plaza general manager Monique Parry said while Coast residents loved a cheap trip they were also loving the USA.

"For quick getaways Bali, Thailand and Fiji are still very popular with families and couples, as most Asian countries the value for money is amazing and you can stay in beautiful properties for quite cheap," she said.

"We are still also booking quite a lot of USA..."

Ucango Travel & Cruise Centre owner Dave Hulsman said he had noticed an increase in travel to Canada.

"This year there's a lot more people looking at Canada and Alaska, that's come back in vogue," he said.

Both travel agents agreed though that the largest growing market was cruising.

"Cruising is growing exponentially year-on-year," Mr Hulsman said.

"It is still the biggest growing market in Australia," Ms Parry added.

Mr Hulsman and Ms Parry said they believed cruises were growing in popularity due to its convenience.

"It's an easy way to travel, you just jump on board and wake up in the destination," Mr Hulsman said.

"The simplicity of being able to travel to quite a few destinations and not have to pack and unpack is a massive appeal to everyone. It's also great for Families as all cruise will have amazing activities for the kids along with kids clubs," Ms Parry said.

Top five travel trends on the Sunshine Coast:

1. Bali, Thailand and Fiji are the most popular value for money travel destinations.

2. The United States of America, Canada and Alaska are popular among travellers willing to splash a bit more cash.

3. Travellers are most likely to book early bird airfares for European destinations.

4. Overseas travel was down during the winter school holidays, however travel agents on the Coast have experienced high volumes of bookings for the upcoming summer holidays.

5. Cruising is the biggest growing market for travel in Australia.

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