Tourism

28 Jun 2024

International visitor survey

Tourism Research Australia this week released the results of national and international visitor surveys from March 2024.

The national survey provides statistics on how Australian residents travelled in each state or territory and nationally during this period, and the international survey includes information on how overseas visitors travelled in Australia during the quarter. 

The international visitor results paint a positive picture for travel and tourism recovery, supporting the Chamber’s ambitious targets out to 2030. For the March 2024 quarter, total spending reached $10.2 billion, 99 per cent of pre-pandemic restriction levels. The 12 months to March 2024 exceeded the total spending in Australia compared to the year to March 2019, reaching $30.9 billion.  

The number of trips hasn’t quite recovered to the same degree, with 2.1 million in the March 2024 quarter, reflecting 89 per cent of 2019 levels and 84 per cent compared to the year to March 2019.  

More information on the results is available here.  

Regional migration paper

The government has released the Review of Regional Migration Settings discussion paper, which covers the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program, Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs), the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and regional visas and migration more broadly.  

The government is not considering limiting the WHM visa to one year, correctly noting in the paper that such a move would significantly damage local economies in regional Australia. However, the paper is seeking recommendations on how to reform the WHM program to limit exploitation.  

Submissions responding to the discussion paper are due on 26 July. Members should provide any comments for the Australian ChamberTourism submission by 12 July to Sam McKenna.  







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