The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA)’s latest travel trends report shows that Australians are continuing to embrace international travel.
This latest report revealed significant growth in outbound travel, particularly to Japan, Indonesia and the United States.
Based on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Department of Infrastructure, there was a notable increase of around 16.2 percent in total international trips by Australians, rising to 11.6 million in the year ending December 2024.
This prompted ATIA chief executive Dean Long to say: “The latest data confirms that Australians’ appetite for international travel remains strong, with destinations like Japan, Indonesia and the US seeing significant increases. At the same time, inbound travel continues to strengthen, with China’s remarkable growth standing out. These figures underscore the resilience and vitality of our travel and tourism industry. As always, we encourage travellers to book with an ATIA Accredited business to ensure a seamless and professional travel experience.”
Major destinations
Japan recorded an exceptional 56.9 percent increase, with 798,710 Australians travelling there over the past year.
Indonesia remained a favourite, with 1.68 million Australian travellers, marking a 22.7percent rise.
The United States clocked into third as it saw 735,210 Australian visitors, showing a 10.2 percent increase.
On inbound travel
Inbound travel to Australia also experienced robust growth, with a 15.1 percent rise in total visitors, reaching 8.27 million.
China was the fastest-growing source market, with a 66.4 percent increase in visitor numbers, reaching 891,550 arrivals.
New Zealand remains Australia’s largest source market, with 1.39 million visitors, a 9.5 percent rise.
The US and UK also experienced strong growth, up eight percent and 7.4 percent respectively.
The most popular months for travel
According to the report, July was the most popular month for Australians travelling on holiday, with 63.1 percent of outbound travellers citing leisure as their reason for travel.
For those visiting friends and relatives, January saw the highest percentage at 34.8 percent, reflecting the holiday season’s influence on travel patterns.
Business travel peaked in March, with 8.7 percent of outbound travellers departing for work-related purposes.
Airline market data
For international travel, Qantas Airways maintained its lead with a 17.3 percent market share, carrying 597,000 passengers in the year ending November 2024.
Jetstar followed with an 11.7 percent market share, carrying 402,000 passengers, while Singapore Airlines accounted for a 9.8 percent market share, transporting 337,000 passengers.
Domestically, Melbourne-Sydney remained the busiest route, with 763,228 seats available in November 2024.
Brisbane-Sydney recorded a 93 percent load factor, reflecting strong domestic demand, while Perth-Sydney saw a 7.1 percent increase in available seats, reaching 163,560 seats by year-end.
