Major events, increased air uplift and world-class experiences fuelled a record international visitor spend that saw one Australian state soar above the rest, delivering a whopping $13.4 billion in spend for the year ending March 2025.
New South Wales achieved a record-breaking 15 per cent year-on-year rise in international visitor spend – the highest of any other state – welcoming 3.9 million international visitors (up 5.4% YOY) who stayed 102.2 million nights (up 7.3 %).
Sydney had a big boost with 3.6 million international visitors (up 4.5%) who stayed 84.5 million nights (up 5.7 %) and spent $12.2 billion (up 15.4 % YOY).
Regional NSW also saw strong growth, particularly from VFR travellers, welcoming 700,000 international visitors (up 4.5%), who stayed 17.7 million nights (up 15.8%) and spent $1.2 billion (up 10.5% YOY).
Holidaymakers drove the visitation increase, while the education market delivered robust gains in nights and international visitor spend.
NSW was also the top Australian destination for Chinese visitors, attracting 493,600 travellers from mainland China, who spent $4.3 billion and stayed 19.1 million nights.
Nine Chinese mainland airlines now operate into Sydney – more than any other Australian gateway – and Sydney Airport currently offers the highest seat capacity from mainland China of any Australian airport.
Sydney Airport’s T1 International terminal had its busiest summer on record with 300,000 more passengers passing through between 13 December 2024 and 27 January 2025 compared to 2019.
Destination NSW CEO Karen Jones said: “This momentum reflects the collaborative effort of our tourism operators, event partners and aviation stakeholders – and the growing appetite among international and domestic visitors for uniquely NSW experiences.”
“With fresh campaigns promoting winter travel and a packed events calendar, we expect winter 2025 to build on last year’s success.”
For more info, visit destinationnsw.com.au
