It might seem hard to believe, given the world was still in the throes of a pandemic for most of the year, but Australian tourism actually fared better overall in 2022 than it did in 2019.
How, we hear you ask? It largely had to do with Aussies’ desire and willingness to see more of their own backyard.
According to Tourism Research Australia’s (TRA) State of the Industry report for 2022, the post-pandemic visitor economy saw total tourism spend (by international and domestic travellers) in Australia reach a whopping $143 billion during 2022, surpassing by three per cent the $138.5 billion generated in 2019.
With Australia’s border closed at the start of 2022, international tourism spend totalled $12.7 billion, which was 59 per cent down on the $31.4 billion spent in 2019.
This was reflective of the total number of seats available on flights into Australia, which numbered 12.1 million in 2022 compared to 26.8 million in 2019, for a net decrease of 55 per cent.
By contrast, Australian residents who travelled away from home for at least one night spent $101.3 billion last year, a 25 per cent increase on the $80.7 billion accumulated three years prior.
This was despite there being 16 per cent fewer domestic air seats available (65.2 million in 2022 versus 77.5 million in 2019).
Meanwhile, day tourism expenditure (more than four hours and 50km round-trip from their home, for non-routine purposes) rose by 10 per cent in 2022 to $29 billion (compared to $26.3 billion in 2019).
Surprise supply
While air supply floundered in 2022, accommodation supply for travellers within Australia actually increased in 2022 (over 2019), with 316,100 rooms on offer in 2022 (in properties with 10+ rooms) versus 304,900 rooms available in 2019.
Despite the rise in overall tourism expenditure in 2022, there were still workforce shortages, with the number of filled jobs in the tourism industry dropping from 757,500 in 2019 to 676,400 in 2022.
For the full TRA report, click here.
Tourism Australia’s biggest annual trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2023 (ATE23) recently took place on the Gold Coast, with around 2,300 delegates participating in the mega event.
