Bars, beaches and boutiques lure Aussies overseas
The number of overseas trips taken by Australians has outstripped international arrivals by more than 1.5 million for the first time, according to peak industry body, Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).
ABS Overseas Arrivals and Departures data for June show Australians took 7.44 million overseas trips in the 2010-11 financial year (up 9.9 per cent on 2009-10), compared to 5.91 million international visitors to Australia (up 3.8 per cent on 2009-10).
TTF chief executive John Lee said Australians are taking advantage of the strong Aussie dollar.
“It’s about bars, beaches and boutiques,†he said, “with the number of Aussies going to Indonesia up by 153,000, the US up 116,000 and Thailand up 54,000 in just 12 months.â€
Lee added, “People are leaving with empty bags and returning with bulging suitcases, putting the increased buying power of the Australian dollar to good use.
“This is reflected in slowing retail trade figures, as more Australians look for better value elsewhere.â€
Lee said international travel by Australians had declined to just two of Australia’s top 20 destinations.
“There’s been a fall in travel to New Zealand and Japan – both countries which have suffered major natural disasters this year.”
Lee said the figures also clearly show the increasing importance of China as a source market.
“Arrivals from China rose by almost 106,000 (26.8 percent) in 2010-11, which accounts for almost half the growth in overall international visitor numbers.
“We can also see the impact of poor economic conditions in some of our other key source markets, with arrivals from the US down 23,000 (4.7 percent), the UK down 20,400 (3.1 percent) and Ireland down 6,000 (10.2 percent).
Ian Jarrett
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