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
| State or Territory of stay | Annual change % |
|---|---|
| NSW | -29.3 |
| Vic. | -29.9 |
| Qld | -20.5 |
| SA | -27.0 |
| WA | -9.1 |
| Tas. | -29.4 |
| NT | -14.0 |
| ACT | -37.0 |
| Australia(a) | -26.1 |
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.
Further details can be found in Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia (cat. no. 3401.0) available on the ABS website https://www.abs.gov.au