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Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia

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Statistics on international travel arriving in and departing from Australia.

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Reference period
December 2021
Released
17/02/2022
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Key statistics

In December 2021:

  • Total arrivals: 195,760 – a monthly increase of 123,520 trips. 

  • Total departures: 227,230 – a monthly increase of 136,130 trips. 

These statistics report on the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people. Most data in this release are rounded to the nearest 10. As a result, sums of components may not add exactly to totals.

Overseas Migration Statistics

This release presents statistics on all overseas arrivals and departures, which is not the same as overseas migration statistics.

If you are looking for ABS statistics on overseas migration, please refer to:

Arrivals and departures

(a) Provisional data for the most recent month has not had the full quality assurance methods applied as is done for the earlier months. Provisional data will be revised in the next issue of this publication.

(a) Provisional data for the most recent month has not had the full quality assurance methods applied as is done for the earlier months. Provisional data will be revised in the next issue of this publication.

Provisional Estimates

To provide more timely travel data in response to COVID-19, provisional estimates for total overseas arrivals and total overseas departures are now included in Graphs 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3. Additional provisional data are available under the Data downloads for State of clearance (Table 13), Country of citizenship (Table 14), and Visa group (Table 15). No further breakdowns of provisional data are available, other than those which appear in this release.

(a) Provisional data for the most recent month has not had the full quality assurance methods applied as is done for the earlier months. Provisional estimates will be revised in the next issue of this publication.

1.4 Arrivals and departures by category of travel - monthly change(a)
 Dec-19Dec-20Nov-21Dec-21Monthly change Nov 21 to Dec 21
Category of travel(no.)(no.)(no.)(no.)(no.)
Permanent arrivals(b)7,8102,8906,64011,3904,750
Australian resident returns(c)     
         long-term21,8506,85013,46025,97012,510
         short-term749,66014,30025,89052,75026,850
Overseas visitor arrivals(d)     
         long-term32,2501,8205,39032,60027,210
         short-term1,077,7208,82020,86073,05052,190
TOTAL ARRIVALS1,889,30034,67072,250195,760123,520
Australian resident departures(c)     
         long-term29,3902,42011,19018,5807,400
         short-term1,304,48015,80061,480167,410105,930
Overseas Visitor departures(d)     
         long-term35,2908,60014,19028,22014,030
         short-term871,18022,2704,24013,0108,760
TOTAL DEPARTURES2,240,34049,10091,100227,230136,130

a. Category of travel data is not available from provisional estimates.
b. Permanent arrivals (settlers) comprise: travellers who hold permanent visas, New Zealand citizens who indicate on their passenger card an intention to migrate permanently, and those who are otherwise identified as eligible to settle.
c. Australian resident includes Australian citizens, permanent visa holders residing in Australia, and any New Zealand citizens who can be identified as a resident.
d. An overseas visitor is any traveller arriving to, or departing from, Australia who is not an Australian resident.
NOTE: Long-term are travellers who have been away or in Australia for 12 months or more. Short-term are travellers who have been away or in Australia for less than 12 months.

Visitor arrivals - short-term

Compares international visitor arrivals each month by source country and change at the state and territory level. Analysis in this section is undertaken on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

For visitor arrivals to Australia:

  • A total of 73,050 short-term trips were recorded, an increase of 64,230 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year.
  • December 2021 trips decreased 93.2% when compared with pre-COVID levels in December 2019.
  • The UK was the largest source country, accounting for 17% of all visitor arrivals.

Countries where visitors came from

The three leading source countries where visitors came from were:

  • The UK (12,440 trips)
  • Singapore (9,180)
  • India (7,520).

Details

State or territory of stay

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. For December 2021, the highest number of visitor arrivals was observed for New South Wales (54,540) whilst the Northern Territory recorded the fewest (140). 

Details

Visitor arrivals - short-term - state and territory

Compares international visitor arrivals each month by source country for each state and territory. The additional information is being provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses in this section are undertaken on short-term trips (less than 1 year) unless otherwise stated.

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

Australian Capital Territory

Visitor arrivals - short-term - Calendar year 2021

Compares annual international travel arrivals over time by source country, by state and territory, by age and sex, by main reason for journey and by median duration of trip. All analysis in this section is done on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

For the most recent analysis by financial year see the Article Archive section at the bottom of the lefthand navigation bar.

Visitors arriving in Australia in 2021:

  • There were 245,770 visitor arrivals, down 86.6% on the previous year
  • New Zealand was the largest source country, accounting for 96,830 visitors nationally
  • The main reason for travel was 'Visiting friends/relatives' (60.1%). A year ago it was 'Holiday' (43.2%)
  • Nationally, the median duration of stay in Australia was 30 days.

Effects of COVID-19 outbreak

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Initially the Australian Government placed travel restrictions on those travelling to Australia from mainland China commencing 1 February 2020 and restrictions on other countries soon followed. From 20 March 2020, all overseas travel was banned, with few exceptions. The pandemic has continued to disrupt international travel with volumes at a record low in 2021.

From 1 November 2021, the Australian Government began to ease international travel restrictions with some fully vaccinated groups. Initially, Australian citizens and permanent residents were permitted to travel to and from Australia without exemption. This was then extended to citizens from additional countries and eligible visa holders.

Annual visitor arrivals

Countries where visitors came from

State or territory of stay

Age and sex

Main reason for journey

Duration of stay

Arrivals - international students

Compares international student arrivals each month by visa type for each state and territory and nationally. It includes both those whose intended duration is short-term (less than 1 year) or long-term (1 year or more). The additional information is being provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Australia

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

Australian Capital Territory

Resident returns - short-term

Compares international resident returns each month by destination country and change at the state and territory level. Analysis in this section is undertaken on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

For residents returning from overseas:

  • A total of 52,750 short-term trips were recorded, an increase of 38,450 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year.
  • December 2021 trips decreased 93.0% when compared with pre-COVID levels in December 2019.
  • Fiji was the most popular destination country, accounting for 15% of all resident returns.

Destination countries

The three leading destination countries residents returned from were:

  • Fiji (8,080 trips)
  • The USA (6,640)
  • The UK (5,610).

Details

State or territory of residence

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival.  For December 2021, the highest number of resident returns were observed for New South Wales (41,770) whilst the Northern Territory recorded the fewest (80). 

Details

Resident returns - short-term - Calendar year 2021

Compares annual international travel for resident returns over time by destination country, by state and territory, by age and sex, by main reason for journey and by median duration of trip. All analysis in this section is done on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

For the most recent analysis by financial year see the Article Archive section at the bottom of the lefthand navigation bar. 

Australian residents returning to Australia in 2021:

  • There were 300,380 resident returns from overseas, down 89.4% on the previous year and the lowest calendar year on record.
  • New Zealand continued to be the leading destination country for Australians travelling overseas, accounting for 159,760 trips nationally
  • The main reason for travel was 'visiting friends/relatives' (53.4%)
  • Nationally, the median duration away was 17 days.

Effects of COVID-19 outbreak

On 30 January 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Initially the Australian Government placed travel restrictions on those travelling to Australia from mainland China commencing 1 February 2020 and restrictions on other countries soon followed. From 20 March 2020, all overseas travel was banned, with few exceptions. The pandemic has continued to disrupt international travel with volumes at a record low in 2021.

From 1 November 2021, the Australian Government began to ease international travel restrictions with some fully vaccinated groups. Initially, Australian citizens and permanent residents were permitted to travel to and from Australia without exemption. This was then extended to citizens from additional countries and eligible visa holders.

Annual resident returns

Destination countries

State or territory of residence

Age and sex

Main reason for journey

Duration of stay

Recent changes

Inclusion of statistics on total arrivals and departures, and provisional estimates

From June 2021, the ABS has updated the layout and statistics available at the beginning of this publication. It now includes statistics in the commentary on total arrivals and total departures (including provisional figures) rather than just a focus on short-term travel. This is due to increased interest in all travel to Australia. 

To provide more timely travel data in response to COVID-19, provisional estimates are now included in Graphs 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3. Additional provisional data are available under the Data downloads for State of clearance (Table 13), Country of citizenship (Table 14), and Visa group (Table 15). No further breakdowns of provisional data are available, other than those which appear in this release.

COVID-19 from Feb 2020

In response to the need for additional data and analysis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ABS will continue to release a series of feature articles containing additional state and territory level analysis of overseas visitor arrivals, 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.

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Initially the Australian Government placed travel restrictions on those travelling to Australia from mainland China commencing 1 February 2020 and restrictions on other countries soon followed. From 20 March 2020, all overseas travel was banned, with few exceptions. The pandemic has continued to disrupt international travel.

From 1 November 2021, the Australian Government began to ease international travel restrictions with some fully vaccinated groups. Initially, Australian citizens and permanent residents were permitted to travel to and from Australia without exemption. This was then extended to citizens from additional countries and eligible visa holders.

Data notes

This release contains overseas movement data which should not be interpreted as 'persons'. See the Scope section, paragraph 1 in the Methodology for more detail.

The statistics in this release have been rounded. See the Confidentiality section in the Methodology for more detail.

Inquiries

For inquiries about these and related statistics, contact the Customer Assistance Service via the ABS website Contact Us page. The ABS Privacy Policy outlines how the ABS will handle any personal information that you provide to the ABS.

Data downloads

I-notes

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Time series spreadsheets

Data files

Data Explorer datasets

Two Overseas Arrivals and Departures datasets are available in Data Explorer.

ABS.Stat is no longer an active service and the datasets are now available in Data Explorer. 
The data available in Data Explorer is the same as in ABS.Stat but with a new interface and added functionality.

1. Visitor arrivals and resident returns, Selected Countries of Residence/Destinations

2. Visitor arrivals and resident returns, Intended Length of Stay and Main Reason for Journey

Caution: Data in Data Explorer is currently released after the 11:30am release on the ABS website. Please check the reference period when using Data Explorer.

For information on Data Explorer and how it works, see the Data Explorer user guide.

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 3401.0

Article archive

Previous Feature Articles

Methodology

Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia methodology, December 2021

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