Polling by Newcastle Airport shows more than half of Lower Hunter adults are thinking about their next holiday, a sharp rise on national figures gathered almost a month earlier.
The May 18 Hunter survey showed 57 per cent of people were either thinking about, researching or actively planning their next trip. A third of people were not thinking about travel plans.
National polling conducted for Tourism Australia on April 23 and 24 showed 39 per cent of people were contemplating travel and 60 per cent were not.
Newcastle Airport has been in negotiations with Qantas about when flights will resume to Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
"We've been in positive discussions with airlines about a resumption of services to and from our region, so the message this polling sends should certainly support our case for more flights," airport chief executive officer Dr Peter Cock said on Tuesday.
"A very high proportion of our region are keen to travel once restrictions are lifted."
A Qantas Group spokesperson said the company expected some domestic air travel to resume in July.
"We'll monitor bookings closely and will add capacity where we see demand," the spokesperson said.
Queensland's borders remain closed to all but a small amount of work travel, but the state is under growing pressure to open up.
The Newcastle Airport survey showed Melbourne, at 23 per cent, was the most likely domestic destination for Hunter people flying out of Newcastle, followed by Brisbane (16 per cent) and Gold Coast (12 per cent).
Virgin Australia has a contract with Newcastle Airport to fly to Auckland for 13 weeks this summer, but the airline has gone into administration.
The Newcastle Airport survey showed 13 per cent of respondents would go to Auckland if they were to book a flight from Williamtown and 8 per cent would fly to a South Pacific island, presuming they were included in a New Zealand travel bubble and Newcastle started offering flights there.
Adelaide is another potential destination for Qantas or subsidiary Jetstar from Newcastle given Australians will have to focus on domestic routes while international travel remains restricted during the pandemic.
The Hunter survey showed health and safety concerns, at 37 per cent, had the largest negative influence on people's flight plans.
But almost as many, 34 per cent, were concerned that higher-than-normal flight costs would curtail their ability to travel.
The return of inbound passengers will be a boost to the Hunter's flagging tourism industry.
