Australia's spectacular tourism offerings continue to capture the hearts of locals, with more Aussies than ever choosing to holiday in their own backyard.
The latest National Visitor Survey released today shows that for the year ending March 2019, Australians took 109 million overnight trips around the country and spent a record $75 billion, up 14 per cent on the previous year.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said it was great to see so many Aussies were enjoying the many wonderful and varied tourism experiences that can be found right on their doorstep.
"More than ever Australians are choosing to holiday at home and in particular, indulge in their love of the great outdoors with nearly a quarter of all domestic travellers enjoying a hike or walk as part of their holiday," Minister Birmingham said.
"Australians continue to make the most of our incredible nature and wildlife offerings, with over half of all domestic overnight holidays involving outdoor or nature-based activities. "Importantly, the benefits of these domestic trips are being felt beyond our capital cities, with over half of all overnight spend, or nearly $38 billion, occurring in regional areas.
"Encouraging both domestic and international travellers to venture beyond our country's gateways remains a focus of Tourism Australia's marketing campaigns, and this puts Australia's regional destinations in a great position to continue capitalise on the growth of our tourism industry."
The National Visitor Survey follows the release of the International Visitor Survey last month, which showed that spending by international tourists had reached $44.3 billion.
The Surveys show that total overnight visitor spending has now reached a record $118.9 billion, surpassing the Federal Government's ambitious target of reaching $115 billion in overnight visitor spend by the year 2020.
"Ten years ago we set a series of targets backed by all levels of government and the tourism industry, which aimed to increase Australia's competitive position as a destination and grow the economic impact of the industry by the year 2020," Minister Birmingham said.
"As part of this Tourism 2020 strategy we set the ambitious goal of growing total overnight visitor expenditure from $70 billion to $115 billion.
"I am proud to say that thanks to the continued hard work of the industry, tourism bodies and governments, we continue to exceed expectations with spend climbing beyond our target.
"Work is well under way to develop the next iteration of Australia's tourism strategy, which will ensure that Australia remains a sought-after destination and that we capitalise on the growing pool of tourists worldwide."
For the first time, the NVS has been conducted using 100% mobile surveys. This change will ensure the continued accuracy and efficiency of data collection moving forward.
The latest National Visitor Survey results are available on the Tourism Research Australia website at: https://www.tra.gov.au/Domestic/domestic-tourism-results
