International travel jumps 20% since 2019; huge rises for China & Vietnam, but Thailand sees big drop

Australians headed overseas in big numbers to start the year, pushing international travel up almost 8 per cent in January year-on-year.

According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data released on Monday, Aussie short-term resident returns (trips under one year) for January grew to 1,665,100, an increase of 7.8 per cent on the same month in 2025 (1,544,890 trips). 

To put that figure into further context, January’s total marked a nearly 20 per cent (+19.5%) rise over January 2019 trips.

In total (including short- and long-term travel), there were 2,098,140 overseas trips during the month, an increase of 3.3% on one year earlier. 

Where did we go?

When it comes to where we travelled most to kick off the year, New Zealand saw the highest number of trips, with 205,710 journeys (accounting for nearly one in seven resident returns), followed by Indonesia (164,730 trips) Japan (159,090) and India (133,580). 

While the same four nations occupied the top spots in January 2025, the countries that saw the biggest year-over-year increases in visitor numbers from Australia were China, which saw a whopping 32.6% rise, and Vietnam, which saw a 23.1% lift. 

With Japan and the Philippines visitation up 17% and 9% respectively, the trend of growing travel to East Asia looks set to continue – especially as the war in the Middle East disrupts travel to Europe and other regions. 

While travel to large parts of Asia rises, Thailand experienced a double-digit drop (-10.3%) in visitation from Australia in January 2026 – a shocking result for a country that considers Australia one of its most valuable markets. 

Another loser, once again, was the United States. As many Aussies continue to shun the US, visitation to the country fell by -6.6% during the month.

Elsewhere, Indonesia saw another drop (-3.5%) following previous declines, while India (+5.5%), UK (+2.7%) and New Zealand (+2.2%) saw modest rises.

New South Wales once again accounted for the highest number of resident returns (563,360) from short-term trips, while Tasmania recorded the fewest (9,980).

When it comes to inbound travel, Australia welcomed 0.9% more short-term visitor arrivals in January 2026 (716,680).

Short-term resident returns – top 10 destination countries

KARRYON UNPACKS: Australians are travelling overseas more than ever, but where they’re going is still shifting fast. East Asia is booming, while traditional favourites like the US and even Thailand are losing ground. For travel advisors, the takeaway is clear: client demand is evolving quickly.