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Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia

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Statistics on international travel, including tourism trips, arriving in and departing from Australia. Focusing on short-term trips (less than 1 year)

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Reference period
April 2020
Released
15/06/2020
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Key statistics

  • Overseas visitor arrivals decreased 99.3% since the previous month.
  • Australian resident returns decreased 96.8% since the previous month.
  • Overseas visitor arrival decreased 99.7% since the same month the previous year.
  • Australian resident returns decreased 98.1% since the same month the previous year.

Overseas arrivals and departures statistics are international travel movements of persons arriving in, and departing from Australia with a focus on short term trips (less than 1 year). It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

For all Short-term Visitor Arrivals (STVA) and Short-term Resident Returns (STRR) series, the trend estimates have been suspended from February 2020 and the seasonally adjusted estimates have been suspended from April 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel. For more information, see the end of the Data Quality Issues Appendix on the Methodology page.

April 2020 original estimates for short-term trips:

  • Overseas visitor arrivals to Australia decreased 99.3% since the previous month to 2,200 trips, the largest monthly decrease on record
  • Australian resident returns from overseas decreased 96.8% since the previous month to 17,000 trips, also the largest monthly decrease on record.
     

1.3 Monthly change

 Apr '20Mar '20 to Apr '20
% change
Visitor arrivals — short-term trips  
 Trendnana
 Seasonally adjustednana
 Original2 20099.3
Resident returns — short-term trips  
 Trendnana
 Seasonally adjustednana
 Original17 00096.8

na not available - see the end of the Data Quality Issues Appendix.

Visitor arrivals monthly

Statistics on international travel movements of persons arriving in Australia for short term trips (less than 1 year). It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

For all Short-term Visitor Arrivals (STVA) series, the trend estimates have been suspended from February 2020 and the seasonally adjusted estimates have been suspended from April 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel. For more information, see the end of the Data Quality Issues Appendix on the Methodology page.

Key statistics

Visitors arriving in Australia for a short-term trip in April 2020 (original estimates):

  • Decreased 99.7% since the same month the previous year, the largest decrease on record
  • Reported a total of 2,250 trips
  • With New Zealand as the largest source country, accounting for 16% of all visitor arrivals.
     

Source countries (original estimates)

The three leading source countries for visitor arrivals to Australia in April 2020 were:

  • New Zealand (370 trips)
  • USA (180)
  • Germany (170).
     
  1. Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.


There were annual decreases of over 97% recorded for each of the top ten source countries.

2.3 Short-term visitor arrivals - top 10 source countries(a) - annual change (original estimates)

Country of ResidenceOriginalApr '19 to Apr '20
% change - original
New Zealand370-99.7
USA180-99.7
Germany170-98.8
UK(b)140-99.8
Indonesia130-99.0
India80-99.7
Philippines80-99.5
South Africa60-98.9
United Arab Emirates60-97.4
Singapore60-99.8

a. Top 10 source countries based on original estimates.
b. Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

 

State or territory of stay (original estimates)

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. State or territory of stay statistics are only available from original estimates as seasonally adjusted and trend estimates are only applied to source countries.

For those who visited Australia in April 2020, compared to the same month of the previous year, there were decreases of over 99% across all states and territories.

2.4 Short-term visitor arrivals, state or territory of stay - annual change to April 2020 (original estimates)

2.4 Visitor arrivals, state or territory of stay - annual change to April 2020 (original estimates)
Map shows negative growth in visitor arrivals by state or territory in April 2020 compared to the same month of the previous year. Tasmania saw a decrease of -99.8%, Queensland saw a decrease of -99.6%, Western Australia saw a decrease of -99.6%, South Australia saw a decrease of -99.6%, the Australian Capital Territory saw a decrease of -99.2%, Victoria saw a decrease of -99.7%. New South Wales saw a decrease of -99.7% and the Northern Territory saw a decrease of -99.8%

2.5 Short-term visitor arrivals, state or territory of stay(a) - annual change to April 2020 (original estimates)

State or territory of stayApr '19Apr '20Apr '19 to Apr '20
% change - original
NSW267 170720-99.7
Vic.180 000480-99.7
Qld148 810640-99.6
SA20 48070-99.6
WA62 860250-99.6
Tas.6 54020-99.8
NT7 25010-99.8
ACT7 22060-99.2
Australia(b)700 3702 250-99.7

a. Only available from original estimates.
b. Includes Other Territories.

Resident returns monthly

Statistics on international travel movements of residents arriving back in Australia after short term trips (less than 1 year) overseas. It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

For all Short-term Resident Returns (STRR) series, the trend estimates have been suspended from February 2020 and the seasonally adjusted estimates have been suspended from April 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel. For more information, see the end of the Data Quality Issues Appendix on the Methodology page.

Key statistics

In April 2020, Australian residents returning from a short-term trip overseas (original estimates):

  • Decreased 98.1% since the same month the previous year, the largest decrease on record
  • Reported a total of 17,050 trips
  • With India as the most popular destination country, accounting for 15% of all those returning.
     

Destination countries (original estimates)

The three leading destination countries for Australian residents in April 2020 were:

  • India (2,530 trips)
  • UK (1,540)
  • Philippines (1,470).
     
  1. Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.


Among the top ten destination countries, there were no annual increases recorded.

The highest annual decreases were recorded for:

  • New Zealand (-99.3%)
  • Indonesia (-99.3%)
  • Thailand (-99.1%)
     

3.3 Short-term resident returns - top 10 destination countries(a) - annual change (original estimates)

Country of stayOriginalApr '19 to Apr '20
% change - original
India2 530-91.7
UK(b)1 540-95.7
Philippines1 470-92.8
USA900-98.9
New Zealand850-99.3
Indonesia760-99.3
Pakistan650-82.5
Malaysia490-98.2
Thailand470-99.1
Peru400-77.4

a. Top 10 destination countries based on original estimates.
b. Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

 

State or territory of residence (original estimates)

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. State or territory of residence statistics are only available from original estimates as seasonally adjusted and trend estimates are only applied to destination countries.

For those residents who returned to Australia in April 2020, compared to the same month of the previous year, there were decreases of over 97% across all states and territories.

3.4 Resident returns, state or territory of stay - annual change to April 2020 (original estimates)

3.4 Resident returns, state or territory of residence - annual change to April 2020 (original estimates)
Map shows negative growth in Australian residents who returned to their home state in April 2020, compared to the same month of the previous year. Western Australia saw a decrease of -98.2%, the Australian Capital Territory saw a decrease of -97.7%, Tasmania saw a decrease of -97.9%, Queensland saw a decrease of -98.1%, Victoria saw a decrease of -98.2%, New South Wales saw a decrease of -98.2%, South Australia saw a decrease of -97.8% and the Northern Territory saw a decrease of -98.3%.

3.5 Short-term resident returns, state or territory of residence(a) - annual change to April 2020 (original estimates)

State or territory of residenceApr '19Apr '20Apr '19 to Apr '20
% change - original
NSW310 7405 720-98.2
Vic.259 0704 680-98.2
Qld165 8603 200-98.1
SA36 650800-97.8
WA111 7501 970-98.2
Tas.8 100170-97.9
NT7 580130-98.3
ACT16 400380-97.7
Australia(b)916 44017 050-98.1

a. Only available from original estimates.
b. Includes Other Territories.

Visitor arrivals by state or territory

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

Australian Capital Territory

International student arrivals - Australia - Apr 2020

This feature article provides detail of overseas traveller movements at the national level for international student arrivals. The additional information is provided in the context of the outbreak of COVID-19 which started in China in December 2019.

Visitor arrivals statistics are international travel movements of persons arriving in Australia. It is the number of trips rather than the number of people. All data in this article has used original estimates as trend and seasonally adjusted estimates are not available for all variables being analysed.

Key statistics

Of all arrivals to Australia travelling on an international student visa in April 2020, there was a:

  • Decrease of 44,470 students (close to 100%) compared to the same month in the previous year.
     

International students

The outbreak of COVID-19 which started in China in December 2019, has continued to disrupt the movement of international students this month, due to the introduction of travel restrictions from February 2020. In 2019, China was the largest source country nationally. Educational exports are an important contributor to the Australian economy.

Of all arrivals to Australia travelling on an international student visa in April 2020, there were nearly 30, which was a decrease of 44,470 students, compared to the same month in the previous year. This was close to a 100% decrease, as clearly seen in graph 12.1 below.

  1. Includes short-term (less than 1 year) and long-term (1 year or more) visitor arrivals.
  2. Anyone travelling on an international student visa whether it be for a short-term or long-term movement. This is not the same as when a traveller self reports 'education' as their main reason for journey, as shown in Table 6 for short-term visitor arrivals under the Data downloads.
  3. English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students.

Visitor arrivals annually - 2019

Statistics on travel movements of persons arriving in Australia for short term trips (i.e. less than 1 year). It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

Key statistics

Visitors arriving in Australia in 2019 (original estimates).

  • There were 9.5 million visitor arrivals, the highest year on record
  • China was the largest source country with over 1.4 million visitors nationally, largest source for NSW, Vic, SA, Tas. and the ACT
  • There were more visits by women than men. The opposite was true in 2009
  • The main reason for travel was holiday (47%)
  • Nationally, the median duration of stay in Australia was 10 days.
     

Short-term visitor arrivals

The record annual 9.5 million visitors in 2019 was 3.9 million more than 10 years earlier and 220,300 more than 1 year ago. There has generally been an ongoing increase of visitor arrivals to Australia over recent decades.

  • Peaks were seen during Brisbane Expo in 1988 and the Sydney Olympics in 2000
  • Decreases were experienced during the Asian financial crisis from 1998, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008.
  • Australia experienced strong increases during 2015 and 2016.
     

Source countries

Residents from nearly every country around the world visited Australia in 2019. China (1.44 million) remained the largest source country for visitor arrivals with New Zealand (1.43 million) in second place. This reflects strong growth in the number of Chinese visitors over the decade, with a 297% increase since 2009. However, this growth has slowed more recently (0.46% from 2018 to 2019) and is likely to decrease in early 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

  1. Top 5 source countries based on year ending December 2019.
  2. Includes United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
     


Among the top 10 source countries, there was also strong growth from other Asian countries over the last decade.

13.3 Short-term visitor arrivals, Australia - top 10 source countries(a) - 2019 - year ending

Country of Residence'0002018 to 2019
% change		2009 to 2019
% change
China14390.5296.7
New Zealand14343.530.4
USA8183.768.9
UK(b)716-2.44.6
Japan4996.240.9
Singapore4796.894.1
India39911.6234.4
Malaysia385-4.088.5
Hong Kong3152.1118.6
Korea, South280-2.651.0

a. Top 10 source countries based on year ending December 2019.
b. Includes United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
 

State or territory of stay

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. The proportion of short-term visitor arrivals by intended state or territory in 2019, were as follows:

  • NSW (37% of all short-term visitors)
  • Vic. (27%)
  • Qld (21%)
  • SA (3%)
  • WA (9%)
  • Tas. (1.0%)
  • NT (0.8%)
  • ACT (1.2%).


In 2009 this pattern was slightly different, with more visitors intending to stay in Qld than in Vic. All states and territories recorded growth in international visitors in the ten year period.

At the state and territory level, the mix of source countries varies from that at the national level.

During 2019:

  • China was the leading source country for NSW, Vic., SA, Tas. and the ACT
  • New Zealand provided the most visitors for Qld
  • Singapore for WA
  • The USA for the NT.


Ten years earlier in 2009, New Zealand was the leading source country for NSW, Vic., Qld, and Tas. However, the UK was the leading source country for SA and WA, and the USA for the NT and ACT.

Age and sex

There were more visits to Australia by women than men in 2019 (4.9 million women compared with 4.5 million men). The opposite was true in 2009 (2.9 million men and 2.7 million women).

In 2019, men and women visiting Australia had the same median age (40 years). The largest group of visitor arrivals were aged between 25 and 29 years. There were also large numbers of women arriving aged 56 with the largest source country being from China at this age.

Main reason for journey

In 2019, the most frequently stated main reason for journey by short-term visitors to Australia was:

  • holiday (47%)
  • visiting friends and relatives (30%)
  • business (7.1%)
  • education (6.6%).


Female visitors were more likely than males to record their main reason for journey as holiday (50% of all females compared with 44% of all males), visiting friends and relatives (33% compared with 27%), and education (6.6% compared with 6.5%). Male visitors, on the other hand were more likely to travel to Australia for business (11% of all males compared with 3% of all females), to attend a convention/conference (4% compared with 3%), and for employment (3% compared with 2%).

Duration of stay

Visitors are asked their intended duration in Australia upon arrival.

During 2019, the median duration of stay in Australia was 10 days. However, this varies between the states and territories and between the numerous source countries. It also varies depending on a traveller's main reason for journey.

In 2019, the median duration of days for those visiting SA and ACT was 16 days, whereas for NSW and Qld it was 10 days. Those from India (with a median duration of stay of 40 days) stated their intention to stay longer than most others but this also varied between the states and territories. Those from Japan only visited for 6 days on average.

13.6 Short-term visitor arrivals, Australia - top 10 source countries(a) by state/territory of stay - median duration of stay - 2019

 NSW
days		Vic.
days		Qld
days		SA
days		WA
days		Tas.
days		NT
days		ACT
days		Aust.(b)
days
India304930706156616140
UK(c)162020212120191719
China121410301530129012
USA101111131314161010
Hong Kong910101199101210
Malaysia898107108118
Singapore7889710798
Korea (South)61091310108117
New Zealand55771081167
Japan6761067676
All countries101210161212151610

a. Top 10 source countries are based at the Australia level.
b. Includes Other Territories.
c. Includes United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
 


The duration of stay of short-term visitors to Australia varied by their reason for journey:

  • Those travelling for employment and education stayed the longest (122 days)
  • visiting friends and relatives (16 days)
  • holiday (9 days)
  • business travellers and those travelling for conventions/conferences stayed the shortest (6 days).

Resident returns annually - 2019

Statistics on travel movements of residents arriving back in Australia after short term trips (i.e. less than 1 year) overseas. It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

Key statistics

Australian residents returning to Australia in 2019 (original estimates).

  • There were 11.3 million resident returns to Australia from overseas, the highest year on record.
  • New Zealand continued to be the leading destination country for Australians travelling overseas, with nearly 1.5 million trips
  • Indonesia was the leading destination for those living in SA, WA and the NT
  • The main reason for travel was holiday (57%)
  • Nationally, the median duration away was 14 days.
     

Short-term resident returns

The record annual 11.3 million resident trips in 2019 was 5.1 million more than 10 years earlier and 247,500 more than 1 year ago. There has generally been an ongoing increase of Australian residents travelling overseas over recent decades. However, decreases were experienced due to various historical events such as the:

  • early 1990s recession in Australia
  • September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001
  • Bali bombings in 2002
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003
  • Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008.
     

Destination countries

Australians travelled across the globe during 2019:

  • New Zealand (1.46 million trips) remained the leading destination country
  • Indonesia moved from fourth to second over the last decade (1.40 million - an increase of 156%)
  • The USA (1.06 million) was the third leading destination but had a lower level than its peak in 2018.
     
  1. Top 5 destination countries based on year ending December 2019.
  2. Includes United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
     

Among the top 10 destination countries, the strongest growth over the last decade was for Australians visiting Asian countries.

14.3 Short-term resident returns, Australia - top 10 destination countries(a) - 2019 - year ending

Destination Country'0002018 to 2019
% change		2009 to 2019
% change
New Zealand1 4631.943.8
Indonesia1 4019.4156.4
USA1 056-3.683.2
UK(b)6630.041.3
China6082.4134.9
Thailand543-5.240.2
Japan52213.3230.4
India4268.6200.2
Singapore4170.483.3
Fiji3450.935.8

a. Top 10 destination countries based on year ending December 2019.
b. Includes United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
 

State or territory of residence

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. The proportion of short-term resident returns by their state or territory of residence in 2019, were as follows:

  • NSW (34% of all short-term resident returns)
  • Vic. (28%)
  • Qld (18%)
  • SA (5%)
  • WA (12%)
  • Tas. (1.0%)
  • NT (0.9%)
  • ACT (2%).


In 2009 this pattern was very similar with a slightly higher proportion of those travelling overseas from NSW (36%), WA (14%), Tas. (1.1%) and NT (1.0%).


At the state and territory level, the mix of destination countries varied from that at the national level.

During 2019:

  • New Zealand was the leading destination country for residents of NSW, Vic., Qld, Tas. and the ACT
  • Indonesia was the leading destination for those from SA, WA and the NT.


Ten years earlier in 2009, New Zealand was the leading destination for residents of all state and territories except for WA and the NT (for which Indonesia was the leading destination).

Age and sex

There were more trips taken overseas by Australian men than women in 2019 (5.9 million men compared with 5.4 million women), similar to 2009 (3.3 million men and 2.9 million women).

In 2019, Australian men and women travelling overseas had a similar median age (42 years and 41 years respectively). Among those aged 18 to 30, there were more trips undertaken by women than men.

Main reason for journey

In 2019, the most frequently stated main reason for journey by Australian residents returning home after a short-term trip was:

  • holiday (57%)
  • visiting friends and relatives (26%)
  • business (8%).


Female residents were more likely than males to record their main reason as a holiday (61% of all females compared with 54% of all males), visiting friends and relatives (28% compared with 24%), and education (1.3% compared with 1.1%). Male residents were more likely to travel overseas for business (12% of all males compared with 4% of all females), to attend a convention/conference (3% compared with 2%), and for employment (2% compared with 1%).

Duration of stay

For Australian residents returning from overseas their exact duration away is measured.

During 2019, the median duration away for Australians on a short-term trip was 14 days. However, this varies between the states and territories and between the numerous destination countries. It also varies greatly depending on a traveller's main reason for journey.

In 2019, the median duration away overseas for Victorians, South Australians, Tasmanians and those from the ACT was 15 days, whereas for those from WA and the NT it was 12 days. Those travelling to the UK were usually away for an average of 24 days which was longer than all the other top 10 destinations. Those travelling to Fiji were away for 7 days on average.

14.6 Short-term resident returns, Australia - top 10 destination countries(a) by state/territory of residence - median duration of stay - 2019

 NSW
days		Vic.
days		Qld
days		SA
days		WA
days		Tas.
days		NT
days		ACT
days		Aust.(b)
days
UK(c)242426262331252624
India222523272219252323
China171815171516151717
USA151616171919171616
Japan141514151515151514
Thailand111212121113121212
Indonesia101099711899
Singapore8889711688
New Zealand7781012101188
Fiji787788877
All countries141514151215121514

a. Top 10 destination countries are based at the Australia level.
b. Includes Other Territories.
c. Includes United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
 

The duration of stay of short-term trips by Australian residents going overseas varied by their reason for journey:

  • Those travelling for employment stayed away the longest (24 days)
  • visiting friends and relatives (20 days)
  • education (19 days)
  • holiday (13 days)
  • business travellers stayed the shortest (7 days).

Notes

Suspension of seasonally adjusted estimates

The seasonally adjusted estimates have been suspended from April 2020 for all Short-term Visitor Arrival (STVA) and Short-term Resident Return (STRR) series due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel.

The seasonally adjusted estimates will be reintroduced when patterns in the underlying behaviour of passenger travel movements stabilise. Original estimates can be produced and will continue to be published as usual.

For more details on seasonally adjusted estimates, please see paragraphs 20-35 of the Explanatory Notes and the ABS Feature Article: When It's not "Business-as-usual": Implications for ABS Time Series (cat. no. 1350.0 for Aug 2009).

Suspension of trend estimates

The trend estimates have been suspended from February 2020 for all STVA and STRR series due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel. For more details on trend estimates, please see paragraphs 20-35 of the Methodology.

COVID-19 from February 2020

In response to the need for additional data and analysis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ABS is releasing a series of feature articles containing additional state and territory level analysis of overseas visitor arrivals over the coming months, as well as national and state and territory information on arrivals of overseas students. See the left hand navigation pane to access information on a specific state/territory or article.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) commenced daily situation reports of the COVID-19 outbreak on 21 January 2020 and identified it as an international health emergency on 30 January. This was less than a month after suspected cases were reported in Wuhan, China. The Australian Government placed travel restrictions on those travelling to Australia initially from mainland China commencing 1 February. Other restrictions from other countries soon followed as the crisis worsened around the globe. From 20 March 2020, all overseas travel was banned, with few exceptions. For more information, see the Prime Minister's media release on border restrictions or the Smartraveller page from the Australian government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

Data notes

This release contains overseas movement data which should not be interpreted as 'persons'. See Explanatory Note 7 in the Methodology for more detail.

The statistics in this release have been rounded. See Explanatory Notes 36-38 in the Methodology for more detail.

Inquiries

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070. The ABS Privacy Policy outlines how the ABS will handle any personal information that you provide to the ABS.

Data downloads

I-note

Table 1: Total movement, arrivals - category of movement

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Table 2: Total movement, departures - category of movement

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Table 3: Short-term movement, visitors arriving - selected countries of residence: trend

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Table 4: Short-term movement, visitors arriving - selected countries of residence: seasonally adjusted

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Table 5: Short-term movement, visitors arriving - selected countries of residence: original

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Table 6: Short-term movement, visitors arriving - intended length of stay and main reason for journey: original

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Table 7: Short-term movement, residents returning - selected destinations: trend

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Table 8: Short-term movement, residents returning - selected destinations: seasonally adjusted

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Table 9: Short-term movement, residents returning - selected destinations: original

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Table 10: Short-term movements, residents returning - length of stay and main reason for journey: original

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Table 11: Short-term movement, visitors arriving - state of intended stay: original

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Table 12: Short-term movement, residents returning - state of intended stay: original

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ABS.Stat datasets

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Short-term movement, visitors arriving and residents returning - intended length of stay and main reason for journey: original
Short-term movement, visitors arriving and residents returning - selected countries of residence/destinations: original, seasonally adjusted and trend

Methodology

Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia methodology, April 2020

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