Tourism Boom – More visitors, longer stays, higher spend into Australian economy

There is more good news for Australian tourism businesses and the hundreds of thousands of people it employs, with new data showing international tourism is climbing back to pre-pandemic levels, with more international visitors returning to our shores, staying for longer and spending more.

In the March quarter, 2024:

• International visitors stayed for a total of 87.5 million nights, 105 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
• International visitor spend reached 99 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, injecting $10.2 billion into our economy.
• International trip numbers reached 89 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, up from 81 per cent in the previous quarter.

New Zealand, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and India are currently Australia’s top 5 international tourism markets, and we are working hard to encourage more and more visitors from right around the world to book a holiday to come and see Australia.

Domestic tourism remained stable in the March 2024 quarter, and it’s great to see Australians continuing to explore their own backyard, supporting local businesses and the economy.

As part of the Government’s Southeast Asia Strategy to 2040, we are committed to increasing engagement with Southeast Asia and attracting more high value Southeast Asian travelers.

To help Australian businesses grasp the opportunities available in these markets, for the first time this data set has provided separate insights into Vietnam, as our fastest growing international market. These insights show that visitors from Vietnam to Australia are more than 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels, and highlight the exciting growth opportunity for Australian businesses.

Tourism is an important part of our economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses and jobs across Australia, a figure which is only expected to grow with the World Travel and Tourism Council predicting that travel and tourism will contribute more to Australia's economy in 2024 than any previous year on record.

View Tourism Research Australia’s March quarter 2024 International Visitor Survey and National Visitor Survey here: Tourism Research Australia