Strong growth continues for visitors Down Under

Australia welcomed 796,700 international visitors during February 2016, an increase of just over 10 per cent compared to the previous year, as the country continues to see strong results from its long term ‘Tourism 2020’ strategy.

Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said that February’s ABS international arrivals data provided further evidence of the important contribution Australia’s tourism industry was making to the overall economic well-being of the country.

“February’s numbers continue what has been a very strong start to 2016, with North Asia and South East Asia leading the charge, but significant contributions also coming from our traditional markets such as the United States and Europe.

“It’s great to see Japan returning to growth, benefiting from significant increases recently in aviation capacity, particularly from the full-service carriers,” he said.

Mr O’Sullivan said next week would see Tourism Australia’s latest aquatic and coastal campaign rolled out in China, further building demand for Australia amongst its fastest growing and most valuable inbound market.

The latest visitor arrivals brings Australia to 7.60 million for the year ending February 2016, an increase of nine per cent relative to the previous year, representing an extra 624,000 visitors.

Leisure arrivals continued to drive international arrivals growth, with an increase of 10.3 per cent over the 12 month period. Business travel is showing signs of softening, with declines of 5.0 per cent for the same period.