Schoolies are ditching the Gold Coast for all-inclusive overseas parties

Traditional Schoolies parties on the Gold Coast are losing traction as a growing number of Australian teenagers choose to travel abroad.

Fiji and Bali are popular destinations with school leavers looking for all-inclusive island getaways with their friends.

Flight Centre Youth general manager Marieke Tucker said almost half of the teenagers who booked their Schoolies trip through the travel agent are headed overseas this month, up 20 per cent on 2023.

"Overall, bookings for school-aged travellers (age group 19 years and under) to international destinations were up around 10 per cent this year. Bali was up 9 per cent, London up 8 per cent and Tokyo up 10 per cent," Ms Tucker said.

Bangkok, Los Angeles and Auckland are also popular, catering for different styles and end-of-school celebrations.

Madison Cooke, 17, is heading to Fiji with a group of friends from her Sydney high school. She said they booked when they were in Year 11 and chose Fiji because the Gold Coast had a bad name.

"Everyone just kept saying that the Gold Coast has a really bad reputation," Madison said, adding she was nervous about other people entering their celebrations.

On Mana Island in Fiji, the celebration will be strictly for school-leavers. Madison and her group booked through Unleashed, a Sydney-based organisation specialising in graduation trips in Fiji, Europe, Japan and Byron Bay.

The friends paid around $2700 per person which included flights, accommodation, food and activities.