International travel continues to boom, with new data showing that Australian travel abroad in May 2025 grew by a whopping 20 per cent year-on-year.
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, Aussies made 970,060 short-term trips (less than 12 months) overseas, compared to 807,920 in May 2024.
The figure also represents a notable 12 per cent increase over the same period in 2019, which saw 866,280 outbound trips.
Marking a longer-term trend, international travel year-to-date is up a healthy 13 per cent, with 5,322,920 Aussies travelling on short-term trips between January and May, compared to 4,707,860 in 2024.
Indeed, the rise is a welcome boost for the travel industry, which continues to move on from the pandemic-era setbacks that once brought it to a standstill by helping an ever-growing number of holidaymakers head overseas each month.
Top spots
Leading the way among destinations in May was Indonesia (due largely to Bali), which accounted for 15% of all journeys, with 149,080 Aussie visitors.
New Zealand (83,020 visitors) narrowly edged Japan (82,920) as the next most popular place, while the USA (69,370) and China (61,380) finished fourth and fifth.
Rounding out the top ten destinations abroad were Thailand, the UK, Vietnam, India and Fiji.
Trending trips
When it comes to growth, every destination in the top ten experienced increases during May.
However, Asian nations continued to dominate the fastest-growing hotspots, with China seeing 49 per cent growth, Japan 40 per cent, Vietnam 34 per cent, India 33 per cent, Thailand 24 per cent and Indonesia 17 per cent.
New Zealand, USA, the UK and Fiji, on the other hand, saw more modest gains.
Short-term resident returns, Australia – top 10 destination countries
| Country of Stay | May 2019 | May 2023 | May 2024 | May 2025 |
| Indonesia | 113,280 | 107,810 | 127,650 | 149,080 |
| New Zealand | 90,190 | 72,990 | 78,060 | 83,020 |
| Japan | 41,660 | 34,450 | 59,200 | 82,920 |
| USA | 94,990 | 57,290 | 64,210 | 69,370 |
| China(b) | 59,550 | 25,020 | 41,100 | 61,380 |
| Thailand | 47,490 | 41,600 | 41,620 | 51,610 |
| UK | 47,810 | 41,040 | 44,280 | 47,880 |
| Vietnam | 25,350 | 24,180 | 29,960 | 40,090 |
| India | 28,390 | 28,830 | 29,060 | 38,650 |
| Fiji | 28,430 | 29,910 | 32,080 | 35,830 |
Short-term resident returns, state or territory of residence
| State or territory of residence | May 2019 (no.) | May 2023 (no.) | May 2024 (no.) | May 2025 (no.) | May 2024 to May 2025 change (%) |
| NSW | 297,130 | 234,560 | 276,710 | 312,120 | 12.8 |
| Vic. | 228,810 | 195,480 | 209,020 | 259,970 | 24.4 |
| Qld | 159,790 | 130,390 | 154,330 | 187,710 | 21.6 |
| SA | 42,570 | 33,870 | 39,760 | 45,380 | 14.1 |
| WA | 104,320 | 88,870 | 98,850 | 129,580 | 31.1 |
| Tas. | 10,440 | 6,530 | 8,670 | 10,620 | 22.6 |
| NT | 6,970 | 4,690 | 5,930 | 7,060 | 19.2 |
| ACT | 16,170 | 13,000 | 14,590 | 17,400 | 19.2 |
| Australia(a) | 866,280 | 707,440 | 807,920 | 970,060 | 20.1 |
