To celebrate the UN’s World Tourism Day yesterday, Minister Don Farrell unveiled the latest spate of data from Tourism Research Australia (TRA) early to reveal the Aussie tourism industry’s strong bounce back.
According to TRA’s June quarter 2022 report, domestic visitor spend has exceeded pre-COVID levels by $5.7 billion, an increase of 29 per cent when compared to the same pre-pandemic quarter.
The latest figures also show that Australia welcomed 686,000 international visitors in the June quarter 2022.
While still at only 37 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers, international visitors have not only been steadily growing but also steadily shifting this year with India entering the top five international visitor source markets for the first time, while Singapore returned to the top 5 group.
More than half of Australia’s international visitors this year said visiting friends or relatives was the main reason for their trip.
Farrell said that World Tourism Day is an important reminder of the integral role tourism plays in driving economic growth, delivering sustainability, and supporting local communities.
“Tourism is not only a huge employer and a large export earner for Australia – it also promotes our unique cultural, geographical and biodiverse destinations,” he said.
“There are still challenges to overcome, but it is excellent to see our regions doing so well as tourism recovers.
“I am committed to doing everything I can to help Australia’s $166 billion tourism industry return to the economic powerhouse we know it to be.
“With spring in the air, there is no better time than now to get out and enjoy those iconic bucket list destinations, and every single trip helps the tourism sector’s recovery.”
Image: Facebook/SenatorDonFarrell
