In February 2020, there were 685,400 visitors arriving in Australia for a visit of less than a year, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This was a decrease of 26% compared to the same month a year ago.
There were 785,400 Australian residents who returned from overseas in February. An increase of 5.3% from a year ago.
ABS Director of Migration Statistics, Jenny Dobak, said there was a decrease of visitors to Australia from most countries in February, and for some it was a large decrease. This coincides with the travel bans which were put in place at the beginning of February and the outbreak of COVID-19.
"Although China was previously the largest source country for visitors for this month, it had decreased by nearly 90% when compared to a year ago," she said.
Among the top ten source countries, the highest annual decreases beyond China were recorded for Hong Kong (-28%), Singapore (-25%), and Germany (-16%). An increase of 16% was recorded for those travelling to Australia from India.
Decreases in visitor arrivals were seen across all states and territories.
Visitor arrivals — Feb 2020
(a) Includes Other Territories.
The ABS has released a series of feature articles containing additional state and territory level analysis of overseas arrivals including information on international students.
