New figures show strong overseas arrivals & more overnight stays
New figures released today by the ABS and Tourism Research Australia confirms that the number of overseas visitors continues to grow strongly from key markets resulting in robust growth in visitor nights across all states and territories said the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia (TTF).
Overseas Arrivals League Table
| Country of Origin | Arrivals (12 mth average to Oct 15) | Increase/Decrease |
| 1. New Zealand | 1,263,783 | +4.2% |
| 2. China | 910,892 | +19.1% |
| 3. UK | 664,042 | -1.0% |
| 4. USA | 570,275 | +9.5% |
| 5. Singapore | 375,892 | +5.7% |
| 6. Malaysia | 330,333 | +10.4% |
| 7. Japan | 324,717 | +0.2% |
| 8. India | 214,425 | +19.5% |
| 9. South Korea | 211,350 | +5.3% |
| 10. Hong Kong | 208,217 | +7.8% |
Source: ABS Overseas Arrivals
“China is rapidly closing in on New Zealand as the largest source market for visitors to Australia with remarkable growth of nearly 20 per cent over the past 12 months,” said Margy Osmond, TTF CEO.
“Chinese visitors spend big when they visit Australia so strong growth in that important source market is good news for Australia’s tourism sector and the jobs and economic wealth it generates.
“We continue to see strong visitor numbers from other key markets including the USA, Singapore and India and with the lower Aussie dollar that will be a solid upward trend going forward.
International Visitor Night Forecast
| State/Territory | Nights Forecast (2015/16) | Increase/Decrease |
| NSW | 85, 579,000 | +7.4% |
| VIC | 60,340,000 | +10.4% |
| QLD | 54,571,000 | +9.2% |
| SA | 9,460,000 | +5.1% |
| WA | 30,928,000 | +6.7% |
| TAS | 3,434,000 | +6.7% |
| NT | 5,162,000 | +7.1% |
| ACT | 4,915,000 | +7.5% |
| Australia | 254,389,000 | +8.3% |
Source: TRA State and Territory Tourism Forecasts
“More international visitors coming to Australia means more visitor nights across the country.
“All Australian states and territories are forecast to see robust growth in international visitor nights over 2015-16 with 254.3 million visit nights expected across the country –an increase of 8.3 per cent.
“Victoria is leading the charge with double digit growth forecast but all states and territories are forecast to see positive growth which is great news for the tourism sector.”