Domestic Tourists Pick up the Slack for Some Aussi States

While Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania have been less popular with international visitors recently, Aussi domestic tourists have come to pick up the slack. While the number of international visitors (and therefore also the dollars they are spending) have been decreasing or stagnant in these states, all three have also been posting some of the best growth rates for domestic tourism spending.

According to Tourism Research Australia, national visitors spent 23.7 percent more in Western Australia in the 2019 fiscal year (ending March) compared to FY2018. In South Australia and Tasmania, domestic tourists spend around 17 percent more, respectively.

With domestic visitors being the bigger group of tourists in Australia and outspending international travelers by a large margin, states were able to grow their overall tourism incomes. The growth in domestic travel means that South Australia broke the AUS$7 billion mark for tourism income for the first time and that Western Australia could grow its tourism income by AUS$1.5 billion despite international tourism spending down 2 percent for Australia as a whole.