Asian Tourists Top Spenders in Australia

According to new figures from Tourism Research Australia, tourists from Asia are big spenders in Australia, contributing approximately $10 billion to Australian tourism.

The study shows that spending from Asian countries made up for half of the total of all spending and is increasing rapidly. Indian backpackers are the biggest spenders with an average of $27,000 for172 nights staying in Australia. According to the industry these visitors from India may be spending significantly on some form of study while staying in the country.

China is the largest tourism market which accounted for $3.5 billion and surpassed two popular traditional markets, the UK and New Zealand. The figures reveal that Chinese visitors spent on average a huge $9458 on non-packaged tours in Australia and another $700 each on goods to take home while Koreans topped the list for spending on food, drink and accommodation with $2493 each. In 2011, Chinese and Koreans were also the two biggest shoppers with an average of $960 and $684 respectively.

The spike in tourism signals the tourism industry is pulling out of the slump followed by the high Australian currency and the global financial crisis. Australian tourism visitor nights saw a growth of 4 percent in 2011 while overall visitor numbers remained static with 2010. Spending by international tourists increased by 2.5 percent in 2011, according to Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF).

TTF chief executive John Lee indicated the increases in spending and nights were positive news for tourism operators. "Spending by international visitors continues to grow, even though their buying power has been reduced by the strength of our currency," said Mr. Lee.

The TTF executive also noted the contribution of the Chinese visitor market which increased by15 per cent to $3.5 billion in 2011. "This again underlines the value and potential of the Chinese market for Australia, with the number of international trips taken by Chinese people forecast to skyrocket from 70 million last year to 130 million in 2020."

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Source - migrationexpert