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India and the Philippines flavour of the month for Aussie travellers.
Angela Saurine Travel Reporter
The Daily Telegraph
April 05, 2012 5:14PM
The Taj Mahal is one of India's most polular tourist attractions. Source: AFP
INDIA and the Philippines are the flavour of the month for Australian travellers, with big rises in holidaymakers heading there.
But Japan, which is still seeing the impact of last year's earthquake and tsunami, and Malaysia are falling out of favour, latest research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.
New Zealand was still the most popular destination for Australian travellers in February, followed by Indonesia, the USA, Thailand and the UK.
The number of Australians visiting India surged by 29 per cent while the Philippines increased by 26 per cent.
Hong Kong, Germany, Thailand and the USA also saw significant rises.
Overall, the number of Australians going overseas rose nine per cent for the month as they continue to take advantage of the strong dollar.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive John Lee said Asian destinations like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines have been investing in new accommodation and are able to provide high levels of service to visitors.
"We need support for investment in accommodation and other tourism products in Australia to help us remain competitive or we risk being left behind by our regional rivals,'' he said.
"New hotels and attractions can help to attract international visitors and encourage more Australians to holiday at home.''
When it came to overseas tourists coming to Australia, growth in arrivals from New Zealand, Japan and South Korea helped to offset a fall in Chinese visitors.
TTF analysis of the Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures showed international arrivals fell 0.5 per cent in February, with Chinese arrivals down more than 13 per cent thanks to Lunar New Year falling in January this year after occurring in February last year.
Mr Lee said the relative stability in arrivals was good.
He said the figures showed that Australia was not reliant on one country for international visitors, with arrivals from New Zealand up nearly eight per cent and Japan up six per cent.
"We hope this is a sign of things to come, as both countries continue to recover from last year's devastating natural disasters,'' he said.
Australia also saw more tourists from Korea, India and Italy.
"This clearly demonstrates the need to continue to promote Australia in a variety of markets and that a ramping up of activities in China must be supported by additional funding, not by shifting resources from other areas,'' Mr Lee said.
"Many countries have recognised the potential of China as a source market and while Australia undoubtedly needs a strong presence there that should not come at the expense of campaigns in other countries."
While arrivals from the UK rose nearly two per cent for the month, they are down five per cent on an annual basis, and Mr Lee expects the UK Air Passenger Duty rise, which began in April, to have a further negative impact on British travel to Australia in the coming months.
"It now costs a British family of four coming to Australia AU$560 in APD alone, which will not only reduce demand, but will reduce the spending capacity of those visitors when they arrive,'' he said.
India and the Philippines flavour of the month for Aussie travellers | thetelegraph.com.au
Angela Saurine Travel Reporter
The Daily Telegraph
April 05, 2012 5:14PM
The Taj Mahal is one of India's most polular tourist attractions. Source: AFP
INDIA and the Philippines are the flavour of the month for Australian travellers, with big rises in holidaymakers heading there.
But Japan, which is still seeing the impact of last year's earthquake and tsunami, and Malaysia are falling out of favour, latest research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.
New Zealand was still the most popular destination for Australian travellers in February, followed by Indonesia, the USA, Thailand and the UK.
The number of Australians visiting India surged by 29 per cent while the Philippines increased by 26 per cent.
Hong Kong, Germany, Thailand and the USA also saw significant rises.
Overall, the number of Australians going overseas rose nine per cent for the month as they continue to take advantage of the strong dollar.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive John Lee said Asian destinations like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines have been investing in new accommodation and are able to provide high levels of service to visitors.
"We need support for investment in accommodation and other tourism products in Australia to help us remain competitive or we risk being left behind by our regional rivals,'' he said.
"New hotels and attractions can help to attract international visitors and encourage more Australians to holiday at home.''
When it came to overseas tourists coming to Australia, growth in arrivals from New Zealand, Japan and South Korea helped to offset a fall in Chinese visitors.
TTF analysis of the Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures showed international arrivals fell 0.5 per cent in February, with Chinese arrivals down more than 13 per cent thanks to Lunar New Year falling in January this year after occurring in February last year.
Mr Lee said the relative stability in arrivals was good.
He said the figures showed that Australia was not reliant on one country for international visitors, with arrivals from New Zealand up nearly eight per cent and Japan up six per cent.
"We hope this is a sign of things to come, as both countries continue to recover from last year's devastating natural disasters,'' he said.
Australia also saw more tourists from Korea, India and Italy.
"This clearly demonstrates the need to continue to promote Australia in a variety of markets and that a ramping up of activities in China must be supported by additional funding, not by shifting resources from other areas,'' Mr Lee said.
"Many countries have recognised the potential of China as a source market and while Australia undoubtedly needs a strong presence there that should not come at the expense of campaigns in other countries."
While arrivals from the UK rose nearly two per cent for the month, they are down five per cent on an annual basis, and Mr Lee expects the UK Air Passenger Duty rise, which began in April, to have a further negative impact on British travel to Australia in the coming months.
"It now costs a British family of four coming to Australia AU$560 in APD alone, which will not only reduce demand, but will reduce the spending capacity of those visitors when they arrive,'' he said.
India and the Philippines flavour of the month for Aussie travellers | thetelegraph.com.au
