Tourism to Australia Reaches 80 Percent of Pre-Pandemic Levels

Tourists gather to watch sunset colours on Uluru, also known as Ayers rock on October 26, 2019. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Travel into Australia has nearly reached 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to Tourism Minister Don Farrell.

International interest for a holiday Down Under has grown over the past year with the number of people searching for flights to Australia increasing 10 percent, compared to 2019.

This comes after the one-year anniversary of the “Come and Say G’Day” tourism campaign was launched by the government.

“At the time of the Come and Say G’day campaign launch, international visitation to Australia was at 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, compared to October 2019,” according to a statement by the minister.

“Overall, we have reached 79 percent of pre-pandemic arrivals, with some individual markets back at 2019 levels,” Mr. Farrell said.

“Tourism Australia’s campaign has ensured that Australia remains front and centre for travellers on the world stage, and it is great to see Come and Say G’day and brand ambassador Ruby the Kangaroo are doing just that.”

The Albanese government has also recommenced the visa processing for group travellers from China, with Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme travel restarting on Sept. 25.

The Kalgan Queen can be seen behind a statue of Sam the Seal at Emu Point in Albany, Western Australia, on July 26, 2023. (Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times)
boat tourism

Minister Farrell said China was important to Australia’s tourism sector.

“Pre-pandemic, China was our largest source of tourism, worth about $12 billion to the Australian economy,” he said. “The resumption of Chinese group tour travel will provide another welcome boost for Australia’s hard-working tourism operators.

“The government has worked with industry to ensure we are well positioned to welcome back Chinese group tours, including putting in place the relevant agreements between both governments and industry for ADS visa processing.”

According to the latest Bureau of Statistics data, short-term arrivals from China increased 111 percent in July (79,040) compared to June (37,330), making China the second biggest source of international arrivals after New Zealand.

However, as international tourists return, Australia may struggle to have enough flights and tour guides for them.

Many businesses that had serviced Chinese travellers before COVID-19 had moved to industries already.

Flight tickets were also 30 to 50 percent higher for Chinese travellers, said aviation analyst Geoffrey Thomas.

“The primary one [issue] is the shortage of capacity as airlines are still bringing aircraft back into their networks,” he told the Australia Broadcasting Corporation.

“The other issue is inflation. Fuel prices going up, shortage of spare parts for aircraft. There’s all sorts of dynamics that are driving up the price of travel. I think it’ll be another 12 months before we get anywhere near the pricing levels of 2019.”

A general view of the Qantas training campus is seen in Sydney, Australia on Aug. 25, 2022. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Mr. Thomas believed that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s proposal last month to end a partnership between Qantas and China due to competition concerns would have no impact.

“Strictly speaking, it is a monopoly situation,” he said. “But there are very competitive airlines either side that can offer a really good fare into Shanghai that will produce price competition for these two carriers.”

The economic slowdown inside China, nevertheless, may lead more Chinese to choose domestic travel which will have a trickle effect on global tourism.

In 2022, research from Charles Darwin University and Griffith University suggests the Australian tourism industry reengage with traditional tourism markets, such as Japan, Indonesia or India to make up for the loss of tourists from China.