Australia’s overseas arrivals hit six-year low after record period

New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show Australia was on track for another record year for international arrivals before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia saw an unprecedented fall in overseas arrivals in the latter months of the 2020 financial year, recording 6.7 million overseas visitor arrivals – down 27.9 per cent on the previous year and the lowest since 2013/14, according to the ABS.
The impact of COVID-19 on travel to Australia commenced in February 2020, with the start of border restrictions by the Australian government. Prior to this, the nation set a record with 9.5 million visitors for the year ending January 2020.
“Over the last year, there were increases every month until February 2020 when the impact of COVID-19 started,” Jenny Dobak, director of migration statistics at the ABS, said.
“Once the tighter restrictions came into effect on the 20 March, the drop in visitors arriving was dramatic, being close to 100 per cent.”
During 2019/20, New Zealand was Australia’s largest source country with over one million visitors, followed by China (900,000) and the United States (581,000).
For the year, the average duration of stay for visitors arriving on a short-term trip was 12 days.
Of the top 10 source countries, those travelling from India stayed the longest (53 days on average), followed by the United Kingdom (20 days), while Japanese travellers (six days) and Kiwis (seven days) had the shortest duration for trips.
Furthermore, provisional estimates for July 2020 indicate a 99.1 per cent decrease in overseas arrivals to Australia (18,300 estimated trips) compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.
This represents a 29.1 per cent decrease compared to June 2020.
Data exposes depth of crisis: TAA
The data lays bare the full extent of the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and underscores the importance of “comprehensive” Commonwealth assistance, according to Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA).
Chief executive Michael Johnson said the data showed international visitation ceased almost entirely from April to June, pausing a critical revenue source for Australia’s accommodation industry.
“There is no escaping the data which shows the reality of what happens when strict border measures are put in place,” he said.
“Hoteliers around the country are fighting to stay afloat, but are trying to do so with a major component of their business having been taken away for most of the year.
“The statistics demonstrate just how critical it was to negotiate the extension of the JobKeeper payment and shows additional, long-term assistance will be required to avoid heavy job losses.
“While borders remain closed, all efforts must be made to encourage Australians to holiday at home and provide accommodation providers with much-needed revenue.”
Featured image source: iStock/DLMcK
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
abs australian bureau of statistics Jenny Dobak Michael Johnson Overseas arrivals taa tourism accommodation australiaLatest News

Sydney Airport welcomes daily flights from Hong Kong Airlines
To top it all off, it looks like the representatives scored a cracker of a day for the celebratory photo!

Collette’s Karen Deveson on what Aussies really want from luxury
For Aussies, we're a little bit more laid back when it comes to luxury. No gold-plated cars for us, thanks!

Intrepid Travel partners with Helloworld Travel for exclusive food tour with Luke Nguyen
Vietnamese is one of our favourite cuisines, so we're headed to the Bánh mì shop for lunch in celebration.

Quark Expeditions opens its Antarctic 2026/27 season
You'd have to be Quarking mad to not have a trip like this on your bucket list.

Federal government to purchase REX Airlines if no buyers arise, Albanese says
News that is sure to ruffle some feathers in the offices of competing airlines this morning, but we're all for it!

Topdeck discounts select 2025-26 trips with up to $1,000 off
Knowing my Gen Z sister, that $1,000 saved would be headed straight to the shopping fund.

Windstar Cruises unveils ‘Basil + Bamboo’ on Star Seeker yacht
Don't worry, we're talking about a restaurant here, not the materials used to build the stunning yacht.

Club Med announces Manveer Ramdhian as new MICE manager in Pacific
With so much on offer at a Club Med resort, Manveer's biggest task might be getting delegates to sessions on time.

Captain Cook Cruises celebrates 55 years of excellence on the water in the habour city
With a view like Sydney Harbour as your office this would be a hard job to leave.

TravelManagers’ Michael Gazal: ‘Agents are spending a lot of time on bespoke trips’
If you haven't already thrown out your cookie cutter mentality, please do so now.

JP Morgan Chase grows travel offering with tech partnership
Our inner bohemian spirit strongly objects to buying travel from an investment bank. #sorrynotsorry

Helloworld celebrates Valentines Day with Air Ticket sale
Nothing gets travel agents' hearts fluttering more than discounted air fares. It is a love language.

Agents return from Sno’n’Ski Whistler and Vancouver famil
If you want to be really jealous this lunchtime, check out what these four agents got up to in Vancouver.

2025 Taipei Lantern Festival lights up Ximending
We hope our boss currently on the ground is as impressed with the snake lantern in person as we are behind the screen.

Numbers reveal how hard it REALLY is to become ATIA accredited
If you have ever failed to be accredited by ATIA then this article will make you feel better. Dust off that form!

Travel agent STILL waiting on $15k Bamboo Airways refund 16 MONTHS after carrier left Australia
This has motivated us to stop complaining about the time we got one less chicken nugget than expected.

AIME 2025 is underway!
If you're headed down to AIME we hope you brought your networking shoes because it's going to be big!

dnata spends $17m on inflight catering centre at Western Sydney Airport
Airline food has come a long was from the days you would be given a dry roll and a long strip of cheese. Time for lunch?

AYANA Bali invites guests to experience the Sacred Day of Silence
When our Balinese taxi driver informed us that it was 'time to be silent', we just assumed we were talking too much.

Brand USA launches inaugural ‘Ambassador Panel’ for ANZ agents
Interested agents need to send in a video of them singing 'Born in the USA'. Okay we made that up...

Experience Co. calls on marketing expertise of Unique Tourism Collection for Wild Bush Luxury
You no longer need to choose between experiencing bush or experiencing luxury. You can do both!

Deserts, dates and doors: Inside the secret Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
For a trip that talks the talk, we can assure you, it certainly walks the walk!

Paw-Patrol returns to Reflections Bermagui as groups boasts $3.5m economic boost
Be careful where you leave your lunch around this holiday park, there will be plenty of noses paying attention.

IAAPA Expo Asia 2025 opens exhibitor registration
The IAAPA Expo Asia, the premier amusement industry trade show in the Asia-Pacific, has opened exhibitor registrations for its 2025 event on 30 June to 3 July in Shanghai. This international extravaganza showcases the newest technological advancements and innovative solutions in the attractions industry from more than 300 exhibitors, with over 10,000 attendees expected to […]

Aussies lead the way as Singapore announces record-breaking tourism spend
As an Aussie that visited Marina Bay Sands in 2024, we like to think we did our bit.

Club Med launches second opening of its Early Bird Sale 2026
Proof that the early bird does come around twice if you hang about long enough.

Artyzen Hospitality Group announces plans for first luxury lifestyle property in Xi’an, China
Having tried Singapore, we're now all the more interested in Xi'an, China!

Cathay Pacific partners with Mott 32 for fine dining at Hong Kong Airport
It certainly beats waiting for our flight at the airport's Burger King.

Japan National Tourism Organization hosts agency events in Perth and Sydney
Trust us, Aussies don't need even more reasons to visit Japan. We're already sold!

Riverside Luxury Cruises names Susie Coughlin as ANZ sales and marketing lead
We wonder if Susie ever imagined how big the river cruise market would get when she started out in the industry.

Cathay Pacific offers rugby fans the chance to fly to Hong Kong
Non rugby fans are also open to being flown to Hong Kong. Just putting it out there...

Ski expert Gary Clark on the real reason everybody is obsessed with ice baths
We all know that the real reason is that it looks good on Instagram.

Marriott International grows Asia Pacific portfolio by 12% with focus on midscale and luxury
The APAC luxury market shows no sign of slowing down.

APT unveils brand-new tour including a visit to remote British island
Forget Big Ben, be the envy of your pals with a trip to places they certainly wouldn't have been.

Air New Zealand addresses engine shortage concerns with aircraft leasing plan
If you're looking for stocks to invest in, aircraft manufacturing looks like a good bet.

Ibis partners with Globetrender to reveal 25 ways Gen Y and Z will travel in 2025
If you can complete the list you'll be going at a rate of one trip every two weeks, and we'd be pretty envious!