An all-time record 6.1m international visitors to Australia spent A$30.1bn ($27.9bn) up 8% last year with 2.8m holidaymakers spending A$12bn ($11.1bn).

 

Tourism Research Australia (TRA) reports that in the period ending June 2014, leisure travel drove growth.

 

In its latest International Visitor Survey it says that international visitors arriving for a holiday only increased by 9% to the aforementioned 2.8m as their spend level of A$12bn ($11.1bn) jumped by 11%.

 

TRA says those visitors arriving to visit friends and relatives – also included in the leisure travel numbers – rose by 15% to 1.7m, while their collective trip-spending rose by 19% to A$5bn ($4.6bn).

 

 

Source: Tourism Research Australia

 

 

RECORD TOP EIGHT MARKETS

The TRA report said: “The strong growth in leisure travel underpinned record arrivals from eight of Australia’s key markets, including New Zealand, USA, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India and Germany.

 

“While Malaysian visitors increased 23% and trip spend grew 10%, China remains dominant. Arrivals from China increased by 11% to 708,000, and trip spend up by 16% to A$5.3bn ($4.9bn).

 

“Australia’s inbound performance is very encouraging with record arrivals from the USA, and many markets out of Europe and Asia’, said Tourism Research Australia’s Tim Quinn.

 

He added that the USA has broken its own record at each consecutive quarter between December 2013 and June 2014 to become worth over A$2.6bn ($2.4bn).

 

“Interestingly, while arrivals are at record levels, travellers are trending toward shorter stays, with the four to seven-night category the fastest growing segment,” said Quinn.

 

 

Sydney Airport’s duty free contract is currently out to tender, with a decision expected by the end of this calendar year.

 

 

GOOD NEWS AHEAD OF SYDNEY BID

This is all obviously good news for Australia’s gateway airport at Sydney, which is easily the busiest in the country with 37.86m passengers in 2013.

 

As reported, the airport has shortlisted three operators for one of its most important contracts – the duty free concession – which accounts for nearly 13% of its total revenue and 23% of commercial revenue.

 

Sydney’s retail revenue in the first half of this year (ending June) grew by +7.4% at the Australian hub to A$125m ($116.1m) and the current duty free contract held by Nuance Australia (now being taken over by Dufry) expires in February 2015.

 

However, Sydney Airport says that it will make a decision on its winning partner – or partners – before the end of this year.

 

[For more information on the Sydney Airport duty free contract click here: http://www.trbusiness.com/index.php/regional/asia/15807-three-left-in-sydney-tender-as-hy1-retail-grows-74.html].