PROFILE - AUSTRALIA'S INBOUND TOURISM INDUSTRY (OCT 2002).

Publication: AsiaPulse News

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Asia Pulse Pty Ltd

by Penelope Lake

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A PROFILE OF AUSTRALIA'S INBOUND TOURISM INDUSTRY

PREPARED BY ASIA PULSE ANALYSTS (UPDATED OCT 2002)

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OVERVIEW:

The number of inbound tourists to Australia dropped 5 per cent between January 2002 and September 2002. The recent media focus on Asian terrorism and bomb blasts, coupled with a continued global economic downturn, means there is little hope of an upturn for the Australian inbound tourism sector in the near future.

The World Tourism Organization has confirmed that the total number of international tourists fell last year for the first time since 1982, reflecting a post Olympic slump.

Australia's earnings are feeling the effect, dropping 4.8 per cent. The only countries among the top ten to record increases in short-term visitor arrivals compared to the same period in 2001 were China (14 per cent) and Korea (7 per cent).

The growth in visitor numbers from China was buoyed by the traditional May holiday period. Chinese arrivals are also enjoying a boost from Australia's good reputation; Beijing residents voted Australia the most ideal place for a holiday over any other destination in a recent survey by the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC).

Last year around 163,000 Chinese visitors travelled to Australia - a 75 per cent increase on 1999. By 2005 that figure is expected to jump by...

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