Tourism in Australia

Value to the Economy

Tourism in Australia is a large sector of the economy. In 2003/04, the tourism industry represented 3.9% of Australia's GDP at a value of approximately A$32 billion to the national economy.[1] It should be noted that tourism's share of GDP has been slightly decreasing over recent years.
In 2004-05, international visitors consumed AUD$18.3 billion worth of goods and services produced by the Australian economy. This represented 11.1% of total exports of goods and services. [2]
Australia was also the received the 10th biggest revenue from being a tourist destination in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Trends

At least until September 2001, tourism and particularly international tourism had grown rapidly for the past two decades. [citation needed]
During 2001–2002 and 2002–2003, external events such as the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) scare caused changes to the level of international visitors to Australia.

Visas
All visitors to Australia, apart from New Zealanders, require advance permission to enter the country. For most countries, a full visa is required, but holders of certain passports from some OECD and some East Asian countries are able to apply for the simpler Electronic Travel Authority which enables one to apply and be granted a visa.

Marketing
Australia's international tourism campaigns have largely centred around the image of Australia as a wild, expansive, almost uninhabited continent, with all manner of exotic scenery and wildlife, endless beaches, large coastal cities and friendly, relaxed locals. A famous advertising campaign of the 1980s featuring Paul Hogan offering American tourists the chance to "throw another shrimp on the barbie" serves as an example of this marketing approach. (Ironically, this statement is a misquote; Hogan's actual line was "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you.") [citation needed]
The marketing focus has changed over the years, for example with specific advertisements created for individual countries. A 2006 Tourism campaign using Australian colloquialisms was typified with the slogan: "So where the bloody hell are you?"

Popular destinations

International tourists
Tourism Australia lists the following as the most visited regions in Australia:
Sydney, includes sights such as Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach.
Melbourne
Brisbane
Far North Queensland including Cairns, known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest
Gold Coast, famous for its beaches and theme parks
Perth, Western Australia
Adelaide
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Uluru (Ayers Rock) and surroundings such as Kata Tjuta
Whitsundays, Queensland
Top Ten Visited Regions in Australia

Domestic tourists
This list varies for domestic tourists and focuses on destinations relatively near capital cities. A notable omission is Far North Queensland mainly due to its distance from capital cities.
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Gold Coast
northern coastal New South Wales including Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay
Perth
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
South Coast, New South Wales including Nowra and Batemans Bay
South Western Western Australia including Bunbury and Busselton.
Hunter region, New South Wales including Newcastle, Port Stephens
Top 10 Domestic Regions

Popular activities
Tourism Australia reported the following as the most popular activities for overseas tourists:
Dining or eating out at a cafe
Shopping
Beach
Markets
National parks
Pubs, Clubs and Discos
Zoos, Wildlife parks and Aquariums
Botanical Gardens and Public Parks
Charter boats, ferries, cruises
Historical sites, Heritage
Top 10 Activities
This list varies for domestic tourists:
Dining
Visiting friends or relatives
Shopping
General sightseeing
Pubs, Clubs and Discos
Beach
Picnics and Barbecues
Bushwalking
National parks
Fishing
Top Activities for Domestic Tourists

Types of tourists

International tourists
The top 10 countries for short term visits to Australia:
New Zealand
Japan
United Kingdom
United States
China
South Korea
Singapore
Malaysia
Hong Kong
Germany
Source: ABS Overseas Arrivals and Departures August 2006
Whilst the above list may include personal and business visits, a considerable proportion of these visitors would engage in tourist activities. 52% of visitors to Australia in 2005/06 visited for a holiday.
Tourists from countries such as United States and Japan benefited from the weakness of the Australian dollar against their own currencies over much of the 1980s and 1990s, making Australian holidays quite cheap. [citation needed] Japanese tourists make up a distinctive part of the Australian tourism market, usually taking short package tours which concentrate heavily on the iconic sights (typically Sydney, Uluru, Gold Coast and Cairns), and viewing Australian native animals (particularly the koala).

Backpackers
Another major source of tourists to Australia include backpackers, mostly young people from Western European countries (particularly the United Kingdom) and Canada. Spending more time in Australia, these travellers tend to explore considerably more of the country. Many backpackers participate in working holidays enabling them to stay longer in the country. Working holiday visas for Australia are available for those aged 18 to 30 for most Western European citizens, and also citizens of Canada and some developed East Asian nations such as Japan and South Korea. [5]

Domestic tourism
Australians are big domestic travellers as well, with a profusion of seaside resort towns in every state (many located on or near good surfing beaches), mountain retreats, plentiful national parks, rivers, fishing locations, wine growing regions, as well as domestic visitation of the major tourist spots. [citation needed]
Domestic tourism peaks during the Australian school holidays.

Major events
Major events attracts large number of tourists.

Sporting
The 2003 Rugby World Cup attracted 65,000 international visitors to Australia. [6]. The 2000 Sydney Olympics resulted in significant inbound and domestic tourism to Sydney. During the games, Sydney hosted 362,000 domestic and 110,000 international visitors. In addition, up to 4 billion people watched the games worldwide.