Japan is closing in on one million Australian visitors a year as the nation’s appetite for overseas travel continues to break records.
Australians made 990,950 trips to Japan in the year to July 2026, an increase of 8.5 per cent, according to the latest Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) Travel Trends Report.
The destination is now within touching distance of the one million mark.
It comes as Australians made a record 12.76 million overseas trips during the same period, up 3.5 per cent year-on-year.
ATIA CEO Dean Long said Japan’s growth showed little sign of slowing.
“Japan is knocking on the door of one million Australian visitors a year, and that’s a huge milestone for what has become one of our most popular destinations,” Long said.
“We wouldn’t be surprised to see it cross the line in our next report.”
Vietnam leads destination growth
While Japan approaches its milestone, Vietnam recorded the strongest growth among Australians heading overseas.
Australian trips to Vietnam jumped 15.9 per cent to 577,880.
China was also a standout, with Australian visitation increasing 13.4 per cent to 749,130.
The growth went both ways. Chinese arrivals into Australia surged 17.6 per cent to 1.13 million, making it the fastest-growing inbound market.
“Vietnam and China are where the growth is right now, and we expect airlines to keep adding capacity to the region to keep pace with that demand,” Long said.
Indonesia remains Australia’s favourite
Indonesia held onto the top spot for Australian travellers, attracting 1.79 million visits in the year to July.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand remained Australia’s biggest source of international visitors, with 1.43 million arrivals.
Overall, international arrivals into Australia increased 6.9 per cent to 9.07 million.
Hong Kong was another strong performer, with arrivals increasing 9.2 per cent.
Qantas and Jetstar grow international share
ATIA’s report also revealed changes in Australia’s airline market.
Qantas and Jetstar now account for one in three international passengers travelling to and from Australia, up from a combined 30.6 per cent a year earlier.
Malaysia Airlines recorded the biggest market-share increase, climbing from 2.4 per cent to 3.9 per cent.
Domestic aircraft were also getting fuller. Load factors increased on nine of Australia’s 10 busiest routes in June.
Melbourne-Sydney and Adelaide-Melbourne recorded some of the biggest gains, with both rising six percentage points to an 85 per cent load factor.
The ATIA report draws on ABS and Department of Infrastructure data, with international arrival and departure figures covering the year to July 2026.
