Visitor numbers to Australia from the UK are recovering well, according to Phillipa Harrison, managing director of Tourism Australia.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows there were 72,110 short-term trips made to Australia from the UK in February this year, down from 85,330 in February 2019, but the numbers are continuing to rise.
“Our partners have told us in January, which is traditionally the busy selling month, that they were doing better than they did previously,” said Harrison, adding: “We’re super positive about the UK market.”
The UK was the second-largest international source market for Australia in February, after New Zealand and ahead of the US.
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Overall, there were 600,710 short-term visitors to Australia for the month of February, with ‘leisure travel’ overtaking ‘visiting friends and relatives’ as the reason for travel.
“We knew with the first rush of people that it would be visiting friends and relatives; those people had been missing their friends and their family for the past couple of years,” said Harrison.
“The good news is that in January and February of this year, holidaymakers outpaced visiting friends and relatives, so we are seeing those crucial leisure and business holidaymakers starting to come back to Australia in their droves.”
In terms of international leisure tourism expenditure, Harrison said Australia is hoping to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2025, and “beyond that we’re looking at good steady growth,” she added.
The premium travel and luxury travel sector is also performing well, and high-yield travellers – those who prioritise travel in their discretionary income, travel often and spend more time in a destination – are a big market.
“Stays of four weeks plus is something that one in five travellers are after,” she said.
Harrison was speaking at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) which took place this year on the Gold Coast in Queensland, attended by about 2,300 delegates.
Stirling Hinchliffe, Queensland’s minister for tourism, innovation and sport, said 2023 is the year of accessible tourism in the state.
“This is Queensland’s year for transformation as the inclusive destination of choice for all visitors of all abilities,” he said, acknowledging a A$12m package to invest in accessible tourism infrastructure and technology.
Next year’s ATE will take place in Melbourne, Victoria on May 19-23.
More: Australian Tourism Exchange returns to traditional format following Pandemic