According to global travellers, Australia is SO hot right now.
And that’s not just because it gets so hot in summer that it can sometimes feel like we live on the surface of the sun.
New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show we welcomed a record 9.02 million international visitors in the year ending March 2018.
That’s a whopping increase of 7.7 per cent on the previous 12 months.
A release from the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steve Ciobo MP, said this new record comes as visitors spent a record $41 billion in Australia last year.
“The world is in love with our beautiful country and all it has to offer,” said Ciobo.
“The spectacular scenery, unique wildlife, and world-leading food and wine are attracting people to our shores like never before.”
“Australia is welcoming record numbers of international tourists who are staying longer and spending more.”
The tourism surge is being led by China, which recently overtook New Zealand as our largest source of international visitors, accounting for one-in-six international tourists in Australia and more than a quatre of total international visitor spend.
Australia is also enjoying strong growth from the United States. A record 9.2 per cent increase in US visitors during the past 12 months comes on the heels of Tourism Australia’s recent Dundee campaign, aimed at further growing the lucrative North American market.
“Last week’s Budget reaffirms our support to boosting this super-growth sector with continued record funding for Tourism Australia,” said Ciobo.
