Australia’s inbound tourism sector is showing continued strength, with international visitor spend up 20 per cent, visitor numbers up 10 per cent and holiday travel expenditure up 17 per cent in the year ending March 2026, according to the latest International Visitor Survey results.
Peter Shelley, Australian Tourism Export Council Managing Director, welcomed the figures but warned against complacency.
“These are positive results and demonstrate Australia remains highly attractive to international travellers, with strong growth in both visitor numbers and holiday spending across many of our key markets,” Mr Shelley said.
China led much of the recent growth momentum, driven in part by the extended Lunar New Year travel period, with strong international interest also reported across India, Southeast Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.
However, Mr Shelley cautioned that expenditure growth alone did not tell the full story.
“While visitor spending growth is encouraging, it is important to recognise part of that increase also reflects higher travel costs and inflationary pressures. Converting that demand into confirmed bookings remains increasingly competitive in a rapidly changing global environment,” Mr Shelley said.
Mr Shelley also flagged specific policy concerns that could undermine Australia’s competitive position, including reduced investment in tourism marketing and an increase in departure tax.
“Australia is operating in an increasingly competitive international environment, and we cannot afford to lose momentum as destinations around the world continue to invest aggressively in attracting visitors. At the same time, policy decisions that risk weakening our competitive position send the wrong signal at a time when protecting market share has never been more important,” Mr Shelley said.
