Australia is edging closer to a full recovery in international tourism, with arrivals in 2024 reaching around 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
According to Trent Banfield, international operations and aviation development manager at Tourism Australia, this positive trend follows the resumption of travel more than two years ago, and the country remains optimistic that it will return to 2019 numbers by year’s end.
“Some markets have recovered faster than others, with New Zealand, China, Singapore, India, the U.S., the UK and South Korea leading in arrivals as of June 2024,” Banfield tells Aviation Week. Notably, total international visitor expenditure in the year ending June 2024 has surpassed 2019 figures, reaching 107%, although Banfield cautioned that inflation must be factored into this result.
In terms of air service developments, Australia has seen significant growth in inbound seat capacity, with new routes and services offering increased options for travelers. “We’ve seen new direct flights from European cities like Paris to Perth, and from key markets such as India, South Korea and Turkey,” Banfield says.
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Recent successes include Turkish Airlines’ addition of Melbourne and plans to launch a route to Sydney in December. Additionally, Jetstar Asia has launched service between Singapore and Broome; Delta Air Lines will begin a seasonal Brisbane-Los Angeles route in December; and Cathay Pacific is resuming operations to Cairns.
Banfield says Tourism Australia is focusing on long-term strategies to attract visitors from priority markets. The organization’s global "Come and Say G’day" campaign, launched in October 2022, has been key to boosting consideration for Australia as a travel destination.
“The campaign has been live for well over a year in our 14 major markets, including the U.S., China, India and Japan. It will continue for the foreseeable future and will be optimized, refreshed and tailored to consumers in specific markets over time as needed,” Banfield adds.
Looking ahead, Tourism Australia’s focus will be on high-yielding travelers in its “star markets,” such as China, India, Japan and the U.S., while continuing to tap into emerging markets. For luxury travel, the organization is targeting the U.S., the UK and China, while the UK remains the top market for working holiday-makers.
The organization is also seeking to secure the return of several routes that have been suspended since the onset of the pandemic, including Hong Kong-Adelaide, Vancouver-Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur-Brisbane.
“Among the routes yet to return, it’s mostly a matter of waiting for the right aircraft to become available, or for bilateral air capacity arrangements to be renegotiated,” Banfield says. “When the time is right, we will have a job to do to drive demand for these services to ensure the commercial sustainability of these routes.”
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