$5.6 billion growth drives tourism spending above $100 billion
Spending byinternational and domestic visitors grew by $5.6 billion last year, withspending by Australian and international tourists exceeding $100 billion forthe first time.
Today Irelease the National Visitor Survey for the year ending December 2016, whichshows Australian visitors spent $61 billion. The recently releasedInternational Visitor Survey showed international visitors spent $39.1 billionin the same 12 month period.
This recordspending is creating Australian jobs. Tourism is a $120 billion industry thatemploys around 1 in 12 Australians, so this growth in holiday spending meansmore jobs, more investment and more prosperity for all Australians, especiallythose in regional Australia, where 45 per cent of tourist dollars are spent.
In 2013the Coalition returned responsibility for domestic tourism marketing to thestates and territories to refocus Tourism Australia on our offshore marketingcapacity. Over the past three years, every state and territory has seen doubledigit growth in visitor numbers and visitor nights, with the Northern Territorythe standout performer.
| National VisitorSurvey Results (2013 – 2016) | Visitors | Spending | Visitor Nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Northern Territory | 69% | 80% | 83% |
| Western Australia | 47% | 41% | 44% |
| Australian CapitalTerritory | 21% | 24% | 16% |
| South Australia | 19% | 24% | 15% |
| Tasmania | 17% | 22% | 25% |
| Victoria | 20% | 21% | 17% |
| New South Wales | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Queensland | 18% | 9% | 12% |
TheNational Visitor Survey is available on the Tourism Research Australia website.