A traditional white Christmas with gingerbread, ice-skates and all its accompanying trimmings is the most desired experience for Australians, according to a snap poll by travel metasearch site, Wego.

Europe is at the top of the dream list, with almost 32% of the 500 Wego users polled selecting the UK, Switzerland and Paris as their favourite destinations to spend Christmas.

“As much as we as Australians take pride in our family barbeques on Christmas day, relaxing in the pool or at the beach, the dreamy European winter concept of Christmas resonates with many,” said Joachim Holte, Wego’s chief marketing officer for Wego.

New York came in second with 15% citing the Big Apple as the epitome of the festive season, quoting Bing Crosby carols, ice-skating at Rockefeller Centre, magical window displays and catching a performance of The Nutcracker from the New York City Ballet.

“Popular culture has left its mark too with a couple mentioning that all the ‘best Christmas movies’ were made using New York as a backdrop, so perhaps this has added to those dreamy connotations of a New York Christmas experience,” Holte added.

Within Australia selections were typically warm and beachside, including Hamilton Island and the Gold Coast, with Tasmania and Ayers Rock receiving a mention.

Japan’s winter, culture and beauty rounded out the bottom 4%, with the remaining selections on the most part having a tropical feel.

Sailing the Pacific Islands, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Mauritius were mentioned. Canada received a few votes for much the same reasons as both Europe and New York.

However, the majority of pollsters said they were not travelling for Christmas (74%), prefering to spend the holiday with families (80%).

See infographics for details.