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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
January 2022
Released
16/03/2022
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Key statistics

In January 2022:

  • Total arrivals: 265,190 – a monthly increase of 69,420 trips. 

  • Total departures: 188,200 – a monthly decrease of 39,030 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)
 Jan-20Jan-21Dec-21Jan-22Monthly change Dec 21 to Jan 22
Category of travel(no.)(no.)(no.)(no.)(no.)
Permanent arrivals(b)7,8102,26011,3908,090-3,300
Australian resident returns(c)     
         long-term11,9007,33025,97014,990-10,980
         short-term1,397,42011,35052,750151,48098,740
Overseas visitor arrivals(d)     
         long-term73,5602,24032,60036,7404,140
         short-term766,5907,99073,05053,880-19,180
TOTAL ARRIVALS2,257,28031,160195,760265,19069,420
Australian resident departures(c)     
         long-term37,2403,72018,58035,26016,680
         short-term942,92013,410167,410107,020-60,400
Overseas Visitor departures(d)     
         long-term30,36010,14028,22021,550-6,680
         short-term963,89014,59013,01024,38011,370
TOTAL DEPARTURES1,974,40041,860227,230188,200-39,030

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 53,880 short-term trips were recorded, an increase of 45,890 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year.
  • January 2022 trips decreased 92.6% when compared with pre-COVID levels in January 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 (9,320 trips)
  • India (6,390)
  • The USA (4,760).

Details

State or territory of stay

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. 

The ABS is currently conducting an investigation into a potential data quality issue with OAD source data which is affecting the state and territory level data. Due to this investigation, the information in this section is not currently available. Data will be updated in this publication as soon as possible.

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.

The ABS is currently conducting an investigation into a potential data quality issue with OAD source data which is affecting the state and territory level data. Due to this investigation, the information in this section is not currently available. Data will be updated in this publication as soon as possible.

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

The ABS is currently conducting an investigation into a potential data quality issue with OAD source data which is affecting the state and territory level data. Due to this investigation, the information in this section is not currently available. Data will be updated in this publication as soon as possible.

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 151,480 short-term trips were recorded, an increase of 140,130 compared with the corresponding month of the previous year
  • January 2022 trips decreased 89.1% when compared with pre-COVID levels in January 2019.
  • Fiji was the most popular destination country, accounting for 14% of all resident returns.

Destination countries

The three leading destination countries residents returned from were:

  • Fiji (20,390 trips)
  • The USA (20,010)
  • India (17,710).

Details

State or territory of residence

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival.

The ABS is currently conducting an investigation into a potential data quality issue with OAD source data which is affecting the state and territory level data. Due to this investigation, the information in this section is not currently available. Data will be updated in this publication as soon as possible.

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

Jan 2022 — data quality issue with state and territory of stay/residence

The ABS is currently conducting an investigation into a potential data quality issue with OAD source data which is affecting the state and territory level data. Due to this investigation, state and territory level data is not currently available. Data will be updated in this publication as soon as possible.

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 information 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. On 21 February 2022, the Australian Government removed the international travel restrictions on all fully vaccinated visa holders.  For more information, see the Prime Minister's media release on reopening to tourists and other international travellers.

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

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Methodology

Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia methodology, January 2022