03-11-2015, 11:23 AM
International tourism numbers tipped to jump
Lisa Allen
[Image: lisa_allen.png]
Property & Tourism Reporter
Sydney
[Image: 477274-292c074a-812d-11e5-970a-9231c6de7a20.jpg]
Japanese tourists Rina Nakanishi, Nanae Oba, Haruna Natsume and Yuki Oyobe shop in Cairns Picture: Anna Rogers Source: News Corp Australia
[b]International tourist arrivals are forecast to jump 5.9 per cent to 7.5 million this financial year and by a further 5.6 per cent to 7.9 million in 2016-17, pumping $140 billion into the economy by 2023-24, federal government research reveals.[/b]
Despite the predictions, Tourism Research Australia yesterday downwardly revised its 10-year growth forecasts to 4.1 per cent growth, or 10.6 million extra visitors, for the 10 years to 2024-2025 as the dollar continued to weaken against the US dollar.
Former Qantas chief economist Tony Webber, a member of Tourism Research Australia’s forecasting panel, said Australia’s share of the tourism pie was growing slightly below the world average of about 5 per cent.
“Our share of the global tourism industry has been fairly stable. Generally tourism worldwide grows at 5 per cent a year, about the same as aviation growth,” said Dr Webber, an associate professor at the University of Sydney Business School.
Dr Webber said yesterday that New Zealand and Chinese tourists were particularly enamoured with Australia’s tourism industry, but the Japanese, who flooded the Australian market in the 1980s and 90s, had largely turned their backs on the country.
“The Japanese have turfed us as a destination. Japanese have fads (and their) love affair with Australia has waned,” he said.
“Australia has become a really expensive destination ... (and) the general price levels (of land transport, restaurants and hotels) has risen quite sharply.
“Over the past decade or two we have had prices rising by 3 per cent a year, and there are many destinations where these people can tour that have not risen at the same pace ... that contributes to weakening tourism arrivals.”
Nevertheless, federal Tourism Minister Richard Colbeck said the multi-billion-dollar industry was on track to reach the Coalition government’s Tourism 2020 target of increasing overnight expenditure to between $115 billion and $140 billion.
“It is encouraging to see the total tourism spend is expected to grow by 3 per cent annually over the next 10 years, to reach $145.1bn by 2024-25,” Senator Colbeck said yesterday.
But domestic tourism growth is forecast to be less than the expected international tourism growth, according to Tourism Research Australia.
Domestic tourism will increase 3.5 per cent to 324 million in 2015-16 while the 10-year average annual growth rate is forecast at 2.8 per cent, with visitor nights expected to reach 413 million by 2024-25.
- THE AUSTRALIAN
- NOVEMBER 03, 2015 12:00AM
Lisa Allen
[Image: lisa_allen.png]
Property & Tourism Reporter
Sydney
[Image: 477274-292c074a-812d-11e5-970a-9231c6de7a20.jpg]
Japanese tourists Rina Nakanishi, Nanae Oba, Haruna Natsume and Yuki Oyobe shop in Cairns Picture: Anna Rogers Source: News Corp Australia
[b]International tourist arrivals are forecast to jump 5.9 per cent to 7.5 million this financial year and by a further 5.6 per cent to 7.9 million in 2016-17, pumping $140 billion into the economy by 2023-24, federal government research reveals.[/b]
Despite the predictions, Tourism Research Australia yesterday downwardly revised its 10-year growth forecasts to 4.1 per cent growth, or 10.6 million extra visitors, for the 10 years to 2024-2025 as the dollar continued to weaken against the US dollar.
Former Qantas chief economist Tony Webber, a member of Tourism Research Australia’s forecasting panel, said Australia’s share of the tourism pie was growing slightly below the world average of about 5 per cent.
“Our share of the global tourism industry has been fairly stable. Generally tourism worldwide grows at 5 per cent a year, about the same as aviation growth,” said Dr Webber, an associate professor at the University of Sydney Business School.
Dr Webber said yesterday that New Zealand and Chinese tourists were particularly enamoured with Australia’s tourism industry, but the Japanese, who flooded the Australian market in the 1980s and 90s, had largely turned their backs on the country.
“The Japanese have turfed us as a destination. Japanese have fads (and their) love affair with Australia has waned,” he said.
“Australia has become a really expensive destination ... (and) the general price levels (of land transport, restaurants and hotels) has risen quite sharply.
“Over the past decade or two we have had prices rising by 3 per cent a year, and there are many destinations where these people can tour that have not risen at the same pace ... that contributes to weakening tourism arrivals.”
Nevertheless, federal Tourism Minister Richard Colbeck said the multi-billion-dollar industry was on track to reach the Coalition government’s Tourism 2020 target of increasing overnight expenditure to between $115 billion and $140 billion.
“It is encouraging to see the total tourism spend is expected to grow by 3 per cent annually over the next 10 years, to reach $145.1bn by 2024-25,” Senator Colbeck said yesterday.
But domestic tourism growth is forecast to be less than the expected international tourism growth, according to Tourism Research Australia.
Domestic tourism will increase 3.5 per cent to 324 million in 2015-16 while the 10-year average annual growth rate is forecast at 2.8 per cent, with visitor nights expected to reach 413 million by 2024-25.