Australia is on track to deliver a £1.86 billion investment into the UK economy by 2027 as the market cements its position as Britain’s fourth most valuable source of inbound visitors.
Speaking during VisitBritain’s Australian trade mission, Kristen Angus, Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said the projection was extraordinary given the size of the market it comes from.
“Connections run really deep between our two nations,” Ms Angus added.
“In 2027, we’re on track to deliver a 1.86 billion investment into the UK economy, which is remarkable for a country of 27 million people who is 24 hours away.
“We sit fourth just behind the U.S., France, and Germany, which I just don’t think can be underestimated, how powerful that is, and how much we really do love travelling to the UK.”
Britain also remains the number one European destination for Aussie travellers.
The trade mission has seen 26 members from destinations across the UK attend sessions in Sydney and Melbourne with travel buyers, industry partners and travel media.
Delegations from UK destinations including Manchester, Scotland and Wales have travelled along with 17 tourism businesses, featuring attractions and sporting teams from across Britain.
Ms Angus said the Aussie market’s value centres on dwell time and an increasing willingness to travel outside peak season.
“The reason we’re so valuable is because we travel further than most international visitors. We stay double the length of time of 13 nights and we do travel increasingly in those off-season periods,” she said.
“In fact, January to March is our fastest growing quarter and we’re finding new reasons to experience the regions year-round.”
Connectivity is set to strengthen on both ends of the route. British Airways will launch its first new flight out of Australia in 20 years, a Melbourne–London service starting January 11, while Qantas continues to develop Project Sunrise.
“It’s a game-changing, ultra-long-haul, non-stop commercial flight from Sydney to London and hopefully not long before we see Melbourne to London as well taking off in May 2027.”
Screen tourism remains a core demand driver through the Starring Great Britain campaign, which Ms Angus called “the gift that keeps on giving, really, when it comes to destination marketing.”
Upcoming titles include Practical Magic, plus adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Slow Horses.
Sport is the market’s most reliable conversion point, with 81,000 Australian visitors attending a live sporting event during their trip to Britain, generating close to £100 million in incremental spend.
Next year brings the 150th anniversary of Test cricket, with The Ashes playing in London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Southampton in July, alongside the men’s and women’s pre-cursor to the Tour de France.
“They come for a moment, an event, or a passion point, and leave having discovered just what makes Britain such an unexpected holiday destination,” Ms Angus said.
“That’s the real story of Britain today: vibrant cities, spectacular landscapes, breathtaking world-leading sport, rich heritage, contemporary culture and unexpected experiences.”
Across the week, the UK delegation will meet 56 key buyers and 450 agents in more than 1,000 meetings.
“It’s really about creating those connections and conversations and helping turning Australian holiday dreams into compelling bookings for Britain,” said Ms Angus.
The delegation is being led by VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates, whose presence Down Under is a clear indication of just how important Australia remains to the UK visitor economy.
“We want to work with you to drive that aspiration to travel to Britain and to tell the story of our nations and regions, so that people from Australia want to come to Britain, they want to stay longer and they want to explore more,” said Ms Yates.
Ms Yates revealed that tourism to the UK is currently worth £147 billion, supporting 2.7 million jobs.
“Australia is our fourth largest inbound market and our Aussie visitors are already great regional explorers. We reckon we’ll get about 1.1 million visits this year, with those visitors spending £1.7 billion pounds on their trips across the UK.”
