The number of short-term visitors to Australia continues to grow strongly with over seven million people arriving in the country over the past year with key Asian markets dominating the Top 10 countries of origin according to an analysis by the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said today’s figures on Overseas Arrivals confirmed that the tourism industry was a bright spot for the Australian economy and why it deserved greater policy attention from government.

“Over 7 million people chose to visit Australia over the past year – that is up 6.7 per cent,” said Ms Osmond.

“While these figures are a good result they could be even better with the right policy support from government which includes visa reform, removing unnecessary taxes and charges on tourists and investment in visitor infrastructure.

“A concern for industry is the ongoing industrial disputes at our international gateways which does not help Australia boost our tourism sector one iota. I would very much like to see both parties sit down and resolve this dispute in the best interest of the nation.

“New Zealand continues its place on top of the Overseas Arrivals League Table but China is growing strongly and the latest forecast indicated that it will overtake our trans-Tasman cousins by 2019-20.

“India remains a strong market for Australia to tap into and we should see India continue to rise through the ranks of top destinations over the coming years.”

“What these figures tell us is that Australia is well placed to attract Asia’s growing middle class if we are prepared to back our tourism industry which is why TTF has been such a vocal advocate of the need for a future economy strategy.”