Asia fires Australia’s tourism arrivals
Double digit growth from Asian markets has seen more than 5.8 million international tourists visit Australia in 2010, a new annual record and an increase of 4.3 per cent on 2009, according to peak national body, Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).
TTF chief executive John Lee said, “Eight of our 12 biggest source markets are in Asia and six of those grew by more than 10 per cent last year.
“China led the way, jumping 23.9 per cent to more than 453,000 visitors in 2010, and rapidly closing in on the United States, our third biggest international market.”
Other countries with double digit growth include Korea (18.2 per cent), Indonesia (13.8 per cent), Japan and Malaysia (12.0 per cent), and India (11.1 per cent).
Lee added, “Increased air capacity to these countries has played a big role – now we need to start investing in new and refurbished accommodation, attractions and tourism infrastructure to ensure that growth continues so we can reach the tourism industry potential target of doubling overnight expenditure to $140 billion a year by 2020.â€
Lee said that investing in new products and targeted destination development has the double benefit of not only attracting international visitors, but also encouraging more Australians to holiday at home, “especially in the wake of the floods and cyclone Yasiâ€.
Lee said 2010 also saw a recovery in business, conference and convention travel, with international arrivals up 14.9 per cent, just short of pre-GFC levels.
Ian Jarrett
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