Number of international visitors to Australia FY 2023, by country of residence

Around 978 thousand visitors to Australia were residents of New Zealand in the year ended June 2023. Visitors from the United Kingdom were the second most prevalent visitor group at just below 540 thousand. These numbers represented a significant increase from the previous year, indicating a recovery from the slump caused by coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions worldwide in 2020 and 2021. 

Why do people visit Australia?

From the beautiful beaches on the Gold Coast to the city streets of Sydney, Australia is a popular destination among international and domestic tourists alike. In financial year 2023, the majority of visitors to Australia came to see their family or friends living in the country. Around 1.9 million visited for a holiday, and a little over 620 thousand traveled to the country for business purposes. 

How much do international visitors spend when in Australia?

In financial year 2022, those who visited the country to see friends or relatives accounted for the largest share of international visitor spending, at approximately 52 percent. The second-highest spenders were visitors who went to Australia for education; they accounted for approximately 19 percent of international visitor spending that year.

Overall trip expenditure of international visitors contributed about 35 billion Australian dollars to the country’s economy in 2023. Although this marked a rise in spending from the previous year, it remains low compared to pre-pandemic levels, in which international visitor spending peaked at around 44.6 billion Australian dollars in 2019.