Australian tourism boom!

Take a look at the visitor stats to Australia

We cover lots of travellers who are travelling to Australia – either on a Working Holiday visa or people who are emigrating there, to start a new life down-under. This increasing popularity is reflected in official figures from Tourism Research Australia (TRA) that highlight that international arrivals to the country have surged more than 50% in just six years (from 2011 – 2017).

A very significant factor in this increase is the boom in visitor numbers from China, where there has been an amazing 1, 380 % rise in overseas trips, since the year 2000. The number of visitors from China, now equals the number of visitors from near-neighbour New Zealand, with each of the countries accounting for 15.4% of all visitors. Another Asian country – India – has also been the source of a large influx of visitors – with a 15.4% increase heading to Australia. China is now the world’s most high-spending outbound market due to it’s ever-growing number of middle-class travellers, even though only 7% of Chinese citizens have a passport (compared to 76% of Brits).

Visitors from the UK still love visiting Australia too, and the country is 4th in the inbound visitors chart. Last year saw the highest number in nearly 10 years visit Australia – more than 730, 000. For visitors from these shores, the main purpose for visiting was visiting friends or family. This ties in with the enduring appeal of Oz as a desirable emigration destination for Brits making the life-changing decision to relocate. Family and friends that remain in the UK, are obviously keen to visit and catch up with their loved ones, and Australia clearly has a lot to offer as a holiday destination too – world-class beaches, indigenous wildlife and lots of sunshine – to name but a few obvious draws. In 2017, 19, 000 Brits made their big  move to Australia (which is down from a peak of 49, 000 in 2006), but Australia remains a firm favourite in regards to where Brits head to settle in a new country. Expats cite the lure of the outdoor lifestyle and a better work/life balance as a couple of the pull-factors that make the Australian dream so attractive to so many. When visitors head over to Australia from the UK, the most popular locations to travel to are Sydney (55%), Melbourne (32%) and Perth (21%).

Australia is also a popular gap-year destination on lots of people’s itineraries. It is a huge country, with so many diverse landscapes and a wealth of both leisure and work opportunities to explore.  You can learn to surf, go diving, cuddle a koala and explore the rainforest, to name but a few of the amazing travel experiences that Australia offers. The Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) is available for UK citizens aged 18 – 30, and is initially available for 12 months (with the potential to be extended for up to 2 years in the country, although this could soon be extended to 3 years by the Australian government soon). The current cost to apply for the visa is 450 Australian dollars. You can see more details here.

We offer great-value, flexible Gap Year Insurance, as well as cover for Working Holidays and Emigration away from the UK. If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Australia on a holiday, we can cover your plans too – including cover for any adventurous activities you plan to do.

If you’d like to find out more about Gap Year Insurance click here for our handy guide.

You can find out more about our Backpacker/Longstay holidays here.

You can take a look at our working Holiday policy here (perfect for either paid or voluntary work)
If you’re heading to Australia for a short holiday, you can get a quote here.

Research Sources:

Tourism Research Australia : https://www.tra.gov.au/

International tourism, country ranking: https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/indicators/ST.INT.ARVL/rankings

Australian Bureau of Statistics (Overseas arrivals and departures) http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/568BCE24A5E5CEC5CA257774001ABE30?Opendocument

Economic Analysis https://www.austrade.gov.au/News/Economic-analysis/australias-short-term-tourist-arrivals-surged-to-almost-nine-million-in-2017

Australia’s International Tourism Industry https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/international-tourism

Please note – details are correct at time of publication in May 2019.