Japan is approaching a major tourism milestone, with 990,950 Australians visiting in the year to July, according to the latest ATIA Travel Trends Report.
Australian visitor numbers to Japan rose 8.5% over the year, putting the destination within reach of one million annual visitors.
The growth came as Australians made a record 12.76 million overseas trips during the same period, up 3.5%.
Dean Long, ATIA CEO, said Japan could pass the milestone in the association’s next report.
“Japan is knocking on the door of one million Australian visitors a year and that’s a huge milestone for what has become one of our most popular destinations,” Mr Long said.
Vietnam recorded the strongest outbound growth, with Australian visits rising 15.9% to 577,880, while travel to China increased 13.4% to 749,130.
Indonesia remained the most visited international destination for Australians, attracting 1.79 million trips in the year to July.
Inbound travel to Australia also strengthened, with international arrivals reaching 9.07 million, up 6.9%.
New Zealand remained Australia’s largest visitor market with 1.43 million arrivals, while Chinese arrivals climbed 17.6% to 1.13 million.
Airline data showed higher load factors on nine of Australia’s 10 busiest domestic routes. Melbourne – Sydney and Adelaide – Melbourne recorded the largest increases, both rising six percentage points to an average load factor of 85%.
Qantas and Jetstar together carried one in three international passengers travelling to and from Australia, while Malaysia Airlines increased its international market share from 2.4% to 3.9%.
The September 2026 ATIA Travel Trends Report draws on Australian Bureau of Statistics and Department of Infrastructure data covering international arrivals and departures to July, international airline market share to May and domestic airline capacity for June.
