Issues & Trends – September 2012

Good news for local industry: National Visitor Survey shows
domestic tourism is on the up

THE visitor economy has received a healthy boost, with the latest National Visitor Survey (NVS) showing domestic travel and expenditure rising strongly in 2011/12, according to the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).

The NVS shows domestic overnight trips rose six per cent in 2011/12 compared to the previous year, with visitor nights up seven per cent and spending up nine per cent.

“Robust demand in the visitor economy has also been underlined by growth of 15.7 per cent in spending on day trips,” the TTF said in a statement issued following the release of the NVS figures.

TTF chief executive John Lee described the result as the strongest 12-month period for domestic tourism since before the global financial crisis.

“These results are positive news for tourism and show that Australia has a range of destinations that are attractive to local travellers, with Aussies taking an extra 4.2 million domestic overnight trips compared to the previous year,” he said.

“The spending also shows the diversity of the visitor economy, with visiting friends and relatives travel and business trips up strongly, along with spending on day trips.

“It also demonstrates that while there is still strong growth in the number of Australians travelling overseas, they are also spending money on travel and attractions at home.

“This activity in the visitor economy provides business and job opportunities across the country and backs up the results of the most recent TTF-MasterCard Tourism Industry Sentiment Survey, which showed a jump in expectations for domestic tourism.”

Lee said the survey should mobilise additional tourism investment.

“This shows there is strong underlying demand for Australian tourism products, accommodation and experiences and the growth in both domestic travel and international arrivals should give investors the confidence they need to commit to projects that will add to or refresh Australia’s tourism product offering,” Lee said.