Yahoo Finance Australia’s favourite travel destination changes after nearly 50 years as new fee enforced
More Aussies are headed overseas than internationals arriving.
New Zealand has been Australia’s favourite short overseas trip for the near 50 years the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has been keeping records, but Aotearoa has just been knocked off by Indonesia.
Data released today showed about 1.37 million Australians travelled to Indonesia in 2023, while 1.26 million travelled to New Zealand.
The information doesn’t break down where specifically but it’s safe to say Bali has been a favoured tourist destination for Aussies, who are from this week being hit with a 150,000 Indonesian rupiah, about $15, charge for entering the region. And that’s on top of a $50 visa-on-arrival payment.
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The majority of Australians travelling to Indonesia, 86 per cent to be exact, do so for a holiday while 7 per cent were visiting family or friends. For those going to New Zealand, the statistics are a bit different, with 43 holidaying and 38 catching up with loved ones.
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Nearly 10 million Australians returned from an overseas trip last year, about three million more than the number of international visitors entering.
Of the seven million internationals, Australia welcomed the most from our now second favourite travel spot, New Zealand, followed by the USA and UK.
But where are they headed to spend their holiday cash? The majority went to New South Wales.
Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:
New South Wales (351,760)
Victoria (236,680)
Queensland (159,270)
Western Australia (80,370)
South Australia (25,240)
Australian Capital Territory (10,430)
Tasmania (9,990)
Northern Territory (3,000)
Jenny Dobak, ABS head of migration statistics, said overseas travel had not yet reached pre-pandemic levels but were on the rise.
“They are yet to reach the peak of 2019,” she said.
Before COVID-19 closed the borders, 9.5 million international visitors came to Australia in 2019.
For Australian’s travelling to Indonesia, 86 per cent were going for a holiday and 7 per cent to visit friends or relatives. It was different for those going to New Zealand, with 43 per cent going for a holiday and 38 per cent to visit friends or relatives.
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