Rush overseas as Australian outbound grows 25 times faster than inbound

The Australian passion for overseas travel has turned into a stampede, with Australian residents flocking overseas in droves to take advantage of a powerful dollar.
Outbound travel by Australians in 2011 is growing more than 25 times faster than international arrivals, according to peak national body, Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).
Newly released figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for July 2011 show that in the 12 months to the end of July 2011, travel by Australians to Thailand grew by over 40%, when trend estimates for short-term resident departures for July 2010 and July 2011 were compared. That was by far the greatest percentage increase to any of the top 10 destinations for short-term travel by Australians.
Both the US and Indonesia registered increases of over 21% during the same period. One top 10 entrant, Italy, in 10th position, notched up growth approaching 19%.
The main destinations for Australians for the 12-month period to the end of July 2011 (with percentage increase in brackets): Indonesia (+21.7%); New Zealand (+1.5%); USA (+21.6%); Thailand (+40.7%); Britain (+8.5%); Fiji (+12.5%); Singapore (+10.1%); Malaysia (+1.4%); China (5.1%); and Italy (18.6%).
In terms of visitor numbers, the top 10 destinations for Australians over the period were, in order: New Zealand, Indonesia, US, Thailand, Britain, Fiji, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Italy.
The ABS's Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures for July underscore the strength of the Australian economy compared to other developed countries.
Overseas travel by Australians is up 10.3% so far this year (January to July inclusive) compared to virtually static inbound growth (just 0.4%).
Monthly departures rose 11% over July 2010, while arrivals fell 1.7%. In the year ending July 2011, Australians took 7.51 million international trips (+10.1%) while 5.9 million international visitors came to Australia (+2.7%), pushing the tourist deficit' to another record high of 1.61 million.
TTF Chief Executive John Lee said the departure figures gave the lie to reports of falling consumer confidence in Australia, stating "despite some doomsayers talking down the economy, we are continuing to see double-digit growth in outbound travel by Australians, which indicates a high level of financial comfort and security.
"We know that prevailing economic conditions are a big factor in decision-making around overseas travel, and that's borne out by falling arrivals from North America and Europe.
"In contrast, we are still seeing significant arrivals growth out of China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India, where increasing wealth means a greater proportion of the population can afford to travel.
"That's why we're seeing a shift in focus of Australia's tourism marketing to the 'near world' ï¾ those countries in the Asian and Pacific regions which will provide a rising share of international visitors over the coming decade.
"The 'far world' will remain an important part of the mix of travellers to Australia, however its economic contribution will continue to diminish over time."
Main features of the ABS figures for July 2011 were:
ï¾In trend terms, short-term visitor arrivals to Australia during July 2011 (479,400 movements) increased 0.1% when compared with June 2011 (479,200 movements). Currently, short-term visitor arrivals are 2.5% lower than in July 2010.
ï¾In trend terms, short-term resident departures from Australia during July 2011 (664,500 movements) increased 1.0% when compared with June 2011 (657,600 movements). Currently, short-term resident departures are 11.3% higher than in July 2010.

SHORT-TERM VISITOR ARRIVALS TO AUSTRALIA

ï¾Trend estimates: Short-term visitor arrivals during July 2011 (479,400 movements) increased 0.1% compared with June 2011 (479,200 movements). This followed monthly decreases of 0.3% in May 2011 and 0.1% in June 2011. The current trend estimate for arrivals is 2.5% lower than in ...

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