With the BOM confirming that El Niño is underway, Aussies are planning to make the most of the warmer weather this summer.

But what does this mean for holidaymakers and the nation’s tourism and experience industry as we enter peak season?

According to David Anderson, co-founder and CEO of Big Red Group, ANZ’s largest experience marketplace, the warmer and drier weather could actually have a positive effect on domestic tourism this year.

Data released by Big Red Group shines a light on the mixed fortunes of experience operators across the nation during the last El Niño event, with domestic tourism in NSW taking a significant hit whilst QLD, WA and TAS grew year-on-year.

How will El Niño affect the nation’s SMEs?

Bushfire effect in NSW:

The 2019-2020 summer season hit NSW particularly hard due to ongoing bushfires, with outdoor experiences down -27% across the board.

Brighter outcomes elsewhere:

Warm and dry states where there weren’t severe bushfires, including QLD, WA and TAS, grew by +13%, +35% and +73% on average respectively.

Warm-weather activities:

The warmer and drier weather drove Aussies en-masse to the great outdoors, with cruises, water activities and outdoor experiences seeing a +47% increase in bookings on average.