10 Mar 2010

Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey was released today. The report indicates the Australian tourism industry out-performed the rest of the world last year.

The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, has welcomed the release saying, “Australia has done what it always does well – held up when the chips are down. The commitment of the Australian Government and Tourism Australia – as well as state and territory tourism organisations, airlines and tourism operators – to maintain a strong marketing presence in more than 25 global markets throughout the global financial crisis has paid off.”

Despite the global economy contracting for the first time since World War II, international visitor arrivals to Australia in 2009 matched 2008 levels at 5.6 million. Visitor nights increased six per cent and visitor expenditure increased by five per cent.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation estimates global tourism declined four per cent throughout 2009 with arrivals to Europe down six per cent, Americas down five per cent, Middle East down six per cent and Asia Pacific down two per cent.

Source: Tourism Australia