Move over London, surprising new bucket-list destination for Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers are splashing out on travel, with Japan emerging as their number-one destination, a new report reveals.

The Baby Boomer Traveller: 2026 Trend Report by Bunnick Tours looks at how Australian Baby Boomers (born 1946 - 1964) are travelling in 2026.

It revealed a strong shift away from short-lived travel fads towards meaningful, experience-led travel.

Japan, Italy, Egypt, Spain and Sri Lanka emerged as the top five bucket list travel destinations, the report found.

Retiree Rosalie Coutts from Strathmore in Melbourne said she caught the travel bug after going to China with Bunnick tours.

Since then she has done ten tours and has just come back from southern Italy.

"We aren't just ticking off places we are going to," she said.

"We don't want to go to beaches, Australia has enough beaches. We are interested in history, I've learnt so much."

Australians made 56,440 trips there in July, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Japan is consistently in the top-10 most popular countries for Aussies to go on holiday.

Wendy Wu Tours bookings for Japan are up 24 per cent year-on-year, and head of product, Sonia Orrego, said the country remains a favourite because it "strikes the perfect balance between adventure and ease".