Asian Tourism Arrivals Boom 

International arrivals to Australia were up 1.6 per cent in October 2010 on the previous year, according to latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures released today.

Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP and Minister Assisting on Tourism, Senator Nick Sherry both welcomed the results which show that rapidly growing Asian economies are driving the recent upturn in international arrivals.

“Arrivals from Asia are booming, with a strong economic outlook and income growth helping to offset any loss of purchasing power for international visitors due to the high Australian dollar,” Minister Ferguson said.

In our region, South Korea (up 41 per cent), Malaysia (up 26 per cent) and Singapore (up 14.5 per cent) all reported strong growth in October 2010.

“The China market continues to grow, up 7.3 per cent for the month of October and 22 per cent for the calendar year to date,” Minister Ferguson said.

“The Australian Government’s $30 million marketing investment in China along with the Australia Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which attracted a record eight million visitors, is paying dividends. The China market is showing record growth.”

A patchy recovery and high unemployment in European and North American markets continue to dampen arrivals for October 2010 down 5.5 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

Senator Sherry said that latest data shows that Australia is on track to meet this year’s forecast of a 5.3 per cent rise in international visitors, with arrivals to date at 80 per cent of forecasts.

“November and December are peak months for arrivals to Australia so we are in a great position to exceed all expectations for this year by recording above trend growth,” Senator Sherry said.

“And we can expect a strong finish to 2010 when Oprah touches down to film her much-anticipated Australia special, expected to give Australian tourism unprecedented exposure to an audience of over 40 million people weekly in the US and into 145 different countries.”

The high Australian dollar continues to encourage increasing numbers of Australians to travel overseas, up 5.5 per cent for October 2010.

Minister Sherry said that the tourism industry faces ongoing challenges in convincing Australians to travel at home, competing against the lure of international destinations and increasing purchasing power overseas.

“As Australia’s tourism industry gears up for the peak holiday season the Australian Government will be working to encourage more people to travel at home with our domestic No Leave No Life campaign.

“With the new season of the award winning No Leave No Life television show hitting the airwaves this month, we will be working harder than ever to encourage Australian workers to use some of their leave to get out and see Australia,” Senator Sherry said.

The complete ABS figures are available at www.abs.gov.au