Between 2010 and 2019, there was a continuous upward trend in the number of international visitors arriving in Australia. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the middle of the 2020 financial year saw international visitors to Australia drop to 6.2 million visitors from 8.6 million in the financial year 2019. With lockdowns and travel restrictions all around the world, this trend continued into the 2021 financial year, with international visitors to Australia only at around 140,000 people. However, the number of international visitors to the country rose in 2022 and 2023 and exceeded seven million in 2024, indicating a gradual recovery from the aftermath of the pandemic. Sydney leads the way in attracting visitors Sydney continues to be the primary gateway for international tourists, welcoming the most visitors across leading destinations of international arrivals. The city's appeal extends to domestic travelers as well, topping the lists for both overnight and day trip visitors. In August 2024, Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport processed nearly 1.3 million international passengers, underscoring its role as a key entry point for foreign visitors. International tourists’ reasons for visiting Australia During the financial year 2024, going on holiday and visiting friends and family who live in the country were the most popular reasons to go to Australia among international travelers. Around three million people visited for a holiday, and approximately 770,000 people came for business purposes. Elsewhere, there were about 290,000 jobseekers who traveled to Australia for employment reasons.

Over 1.2 million visitors to Australia were residents of New Zealand in the year ended June 2024. Visitors from China were the second most prevalent visitor group at just below 800 thousand. These numbers represented an increase from the previous year, indicating a recovery from the slump caused by coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions worldwide in 2020 and 2021.
Why do people visit Australia? From the beautiful beaches on the Gold Coast to the city streets of Sydney, Australia is a popular destination among international and domestic tourists alike. In the 2024 financial year, the majority of visitors to Australia came for a vacation or to see their family or friends living in the country. Around three million visited for a holiday, and a little over 770 thousand traveled to the country for business purposes.
How much do international visitors spend when in Australia? Total trip expenditure of international visitors contributed about 47 billion Australian dollars to the country’s economy in 2024. This marked a rise in spending from the previous year, and exceeded pre-pandemic levels, in which international visitor spending came in at around 44.6 billion Australian dollars in 2019. In financial year 2024, those who visited the country for holiday purposes accounted for the highest trip expenditure of international visitor arrivals to Australia by purpose, at approximately 16.7 billion Australian dollars. The second-highest spenders were visitors who went to Australia for education; they spent over 12.6 billion Australian dollars that year.

The number of international tourist arrivals in Australia was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 3.5 million arrivals (+37.84 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the arrivals is estimated to reach 12.71 million arrivals and therefore a new peak in 2029. Depicted is the number of inbound international tourists. According to World Bank this refers to tourists travelling to a country which is not their usual residence, whereby the main purpose is not work related and the planned visitation period does not exceed 12 months. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of international tourist arrivals in countries like New Zealand and Fiji.

International tourism, number of departures in Australia was reported at 2832000 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - International tourism, number of departures - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on April of 2025.

Australia International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data was reported at 25.667 USD bn in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 45.729 USD bn for 2019. Australia International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data is updated yearly, averaging 22.880 USD bn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2020, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 45.729 USD bn in 2019 and a record low of 8.130 USD bn in 1998. Australia International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.;World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.;Gap-filled total;

Around 1.16 million inbound tourists to Australia were aged between 25 and 34 years old in the year ended June 2023, making it the leading age group for international arrivals into the country that year. The second largest group of international tourists by age were those aged 55 to 64 years old, with over 970 thousand people in this age cohort traveling to Australia in financial year 2023.

This dataset presents statistics about the top international markets for tourism to specific Local Government Areas (LGA) around Australia. The LGAs covered in the data are a subset of the LGA boundaries classified in the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data presents the top three origin countries which produce the highest number of international tourism visitors to the specified LGA. Data relating to the number of visitors and nights stayed by these visitors are provided for each of the three origin countries. The data values are representative of a yearly average based on the four years of: 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Tourism Research Australia (TRA) first developed Local Government Area tourism profiles in 2007 to assist industry and Government decision making and to identify and support investment opportunities, particularly in regional Australia. The latest profiles provide an update for over 200 Local Government Areas. Data are drawn from TRA's International Visitor Survey (IVS) and National Visitor Survey (NVS), along with demographic and business data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Profiles were only prepared for Local Government Areas with adequate International Visitor Survey (IVS) and National Visitor Survey (NVS) sample to present robust results. Further, data are averaged over four years, which minimises the impact of variability in estimates from year to year, and provides for more robust volume estimates. For more information please visit the Website of the TRA. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

Australia International Tourism: Receipts: for Passenger Transport Items data was reported at 567.000 USD mn in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.224 USD bn for 2019. Australia International Tourism: Receipts: for Passenger Transport Items data is updated yearly, averaging 2.256 USD bn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2020, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.250 USD bn in 2007 and a record low of 567.000 USD mn in 2020. Australia International Tourism: Receipts: for Passenger Transport Items data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts for passenger transport items are expenditures by international inbound visitors for all services provided in the international transportation by resident carriers. Also included are passenger services performed within an economy by nonresident carriers. Excluded are passenger services provided to nonresidents by resident carriers within the resident economies; these are included in travel items. In addition to the services covered by passenger fares--including fares that are a part of package tours but excluding cruise fares, which are included in travel--passenger services include such items as charges for excess baggage, vehicles, or other personal accompanying effects and expenditures for food, drink, or other items for which passengers make expenditures while on board carriers. Data are in current U.S. dollars.;World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.;Gap-filled total;

International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in Australia was reported at 7654000000 USD in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - International tourism, expenditures - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Forecast: International Tourism per Trip Consumption in Australia 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: International Tourism per Trip Consumption of Vacation Home Services in Australia 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

International tourism, receipts (% of total exports) in Australia was reported at 8.7054 % in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - International tourism, receipts (% of total exports) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Forecast: International Tourism Consumption of Tourism Connected Products in Australia 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: International Tourism Consumption of Education Services in Australia 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This dataset presents statistics regarding tourism to specific Local Government Areas (LGA) around Australia. The LGAs covered in the data are a subset of the LGA boundaries classified in the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The data presents statistics for reason for visit, travel party type and accommodation details for trips to the specified LGAs by their location of origin and visit duration. The data values are representative of a yearly average based on the four years of: 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Tourism Research Australia (TRA) first developed Local Government Area tourism profiles in 2007 to assist industry and Government decision making and to identify and support investment opportunities, particularly in regional Australia. The latest profiles provide an update for over 200 Local Government Areas. Data are drawn from TRA's International Visitor Survey (IVS) and National Visitor Survey (NVS), along with demographic and business data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Profiles were only prepared for Local Government Areas with adequate International Visitor Survey (IVS) and National Visitor Survey (NVS) sample to present robust results. Further, data are averaged over four years, which minimises the impact of variability in estimates from year to year, and provides for more robust volume estimates. For more information please visit the Website of the TRA. Please note: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

Forecast: International Tourism Expenditures for Travel Items in Australia 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Tourist Arrivals in Australia decreased to 761230 in March from 787770 in February of 2025. This dataset provides - Australia Tourist Arrivals - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Australia Visitor Arrivals: By Country: North Africa & the Middle East: Saudi Arabia data was reported at 1,560.000 Movement in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,030.000 Movement for Jan 2025. Australia Visitor Arrivals: By Country: North Africa & the Middle East: Saudi Arabia data is updated monthly, averaging 480.000 Movement from Jan 1991 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 410 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,170.000 Movement in Jul 2009 and a record low of 0.000 Movement in Aug 2021. Australia Visitor Arrivals: By Country: North Africa & the Middle East: Saudi Arabia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.Q006: Visitor Arrivals: Short Term: by Countries. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Australia Visitor Arrivals: By Country: Sub Saharan Africa: South Africa data was reported at 2,940.000 Movement in Jan 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9,350.000 Movement for Dec 2024. Australia Visitor Arrivals: By Country: Sub Saharan Africa: South Africa data is updated monthly, averaging 3,740.000 Movement from Jan 1991 (Median) to Jan 2025, with 409 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12,220.000 Movement in Dec 2019 and a record low of 10.000 Movement in Jul 2020. Australia Visitor Arrivals: By Country: Sub Saharan Africa: South Africa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.Q006: Visitor Arrivals: Short Term: by Countries. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Laos Visitors Arrivals: Asia & Pacific: Australia data was reported at 20,886.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 33,077.000 Person for 2016. Laos Visitors Arrivals: Asia & Pacific: Australia data is updated yearly, averaging 20,886.000 Person from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2017, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 44,964.000 Person in 2014 and a record low of 3,833.000 Person in 1995. Laos Visitors Arrivals: Asia & Pacific: Australia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Lao Statistics Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Laos – Table LA.Q001: Visitor Arrivals.