Transtasman booking data from Flight Centre showed a 15% rise year on year for bookings to Otago over the next two months.
Because of the new direct transtasman route into Dunedin, Flight Centre said bookings to the city were up 55% compared with the same period last year.
Queenstown bookings were up 13%, while bookings for Wānaka were up 32%.
"Queenstown has always been a firm favourite with Aussies, but it’s great to also see strong demand for Wānaka, and travellers taking advantage of direct flights into Dunedin," Flight Centre New Zealand general manager Heidi Walker said.
Average room nights for Otago bookings were also up 7% compared with last year, which showed visitors were looking to stay longer and spend more time exploring what the region had to offer, she said.
"We’ve also seen family bookings jump 20% year on year — which shows a growing appeal for family holidays."
Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said the rise in bookings was great to hear.
The airport had seen "incredible support" from travellers in both directions on Jetstar’s Dunedin-Gold Coast route since the service launched in June.
"This data reinforces the sound business case that the transtasman service represented and we’re now seeing that come to fruition," Mr De Bono said.
Dunedin Airport last month announced a fourth weekly direct flight to the Gold Coast would be added on Mondays, from March next year.
Adding a Monday flight provided even more choice for travellers in both directions, Mr De Bono said.
Queenstown Airport chief executive Shane O’Hare said it was great to see such strong demand for Otago as a destination.
Its international passenger numbers had risen steadily over the past few years.
"As demand grows, we remain focused on delivering a safe, efficient and welcoming experience for all travellers, and are investing in a substantial infrastructure development programme to support this."
Queenstown Airport was expecting about 150,000 passengers to pass through the airport between December 20-January 4.
Nearly 57,000 of those would be flying across the Tasman and about 93,000 would be travelling on domestic routes, which was on par with last year’s summer holiday numbers.
