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Short-term Visitor Arrivals by Main Purpose of Visit, Selected Years from 1981 to 2009

The numbers of short term visitors by travel motivation for the period 1980-2009 are shown in Table 6. Numbers of permanent settlers are shown from 1991. The highest numbers of settler arrivals have been reported in the period since 2004. During the period 2004 to 2008 numbers grew from 117.470 (already the highest reported during the period covered by the table) to 161,520 in 2008 – this was the highest on record. A dip was reported in 2009 (to 148,410) possibly associated with the Global Financial Crisis.

Table 6. Short Term Visitor Arrivals by Main Purpose of Visit ('000)

Year Holiday Visiting Relatives Business Other Total Perm.

settlers

Figure 1 shows that the growth of all categories of visit has been dramatic over the period 1980 to 2009. Holiday travel has increased 7 fold to reach over 2.5 million arrivals annually. However the visiting relatives market has also been very significant and has grown about 5 fold to reach 1.378 million. The “other” category has expanded by a similar proportion to reach over a million (1.028 million). It is likely that behind the growth of these markets, that there are strong connections with migration. This relationship has been enhanced by the improved prospects for international students studying in

Australia to gain permanent residency. It is well known that the international student market attracts substantial visitation from friends and relatives. In contrast to the steady growth in tourism numbers, permanent settler numbers have changed year to year and in both directions.

Figure 1. Short-term Visitors Arrivals by Main Purpose of Visit from 1981 to 2009 (‘000)

Source: Data for this figure were obtained from Australian bureau of Statistics

Figure 2 compares numbers of permanent settlers to Australia with numbers of holiday and VFR visitors.

Figure 2. Comparison of Visiting Relatives and Holiday Visitors and Permanent Settlers (No. of Persons)

Source: Data for this figure were obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics

Figure 3 compares proportions of holiday, VFR and Permanent Settlers to Australia.

Figure 3. Comparison of Permanent Settlers Visiting Relatives and Holiday Visitors (Percentage of Total Arrivals)

Source: Data for this figure were obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics

The proportion of visitor arrivals according to their different motives to visit are shown in Table 7.

Table 7. Short Term Visitor Arrivals by Main Purpose of Visit in Percentage of Total Short Term Visitors Arrival Year Holiday Visiting Relatives Business Other Total

1980 39.8 29.2 12.5 18.5 100.0

Tables 6 and 7 provide information on visitor arrivals in Australia by purpose of visit. In 1980 the main purpose of visit was Holiday with 360,200 which comprised 39.8% of the market. Second was VFR with 263,900 visitors comprising 29.2%

of the market. Business travellers totalled 112,700 with 12.5 % of the market. In 2009, holiday travellers totalled 2.596 million comprising almost half of total inbound visitor numbers (46.5%), followed by VFR with 1.379 million (24.7%) and Business travel 580,500 (10.4%).

Holidaymaking commenced the reported period (1980) accounting for less than 40% of trips (39.8%). This proportion peaked in 1993 with 63.1% of the market before falling back to 46.5% in 2009. The visiting relatives market started the period strong in relative terms (29.2%) before falling back to 17.7% (1993) and even 17.5% (2002). However, it bounced back to reach almost a quarter of visitation (24.7%) in 2009. The “other” category ended the period roughly where it started – it amounted to 18.5% of arrivals in 1980 and 18.4% in 2009. As a proportion of visitation, business has declined slightly from 12.5% in 1980 to 10.4% in 2009.

The results can be displayed in Figure 4 using pie charts.

Figure 4. Short-term Visitors Arrivals by Main Purpose of Visit, Selected Years from 1981 to 2009

Source: Data for this figure were obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics

The proportions of arrivals accounted for by different purposes of visit have varied over the period 1981 to 2009 with an increase in the share of holidaymaking during the first decade and then a fall in its shore over the two ensuing decades. In 1981 the proportion accounted for by the visiting relatives market was similar to holidaying, but during the 1980s it was holiday travel which grew most rapidly. By 1991 holidaymaking accounted for the majority of arrivals with relative proportion accounted for by visiting relatives having diminished. By 2001, a decade later the proportions of visiting relatives and “other” had increased as a proportion of the whole with holiday purposes alling back to about half of all visitation. By 2009 the share of holidaymaking had shrunk once more to less than half with another increase in share for visiting relatives. The “other” category remains substantial and accounts for a much higher share than was the case in 1991.

The boom in Australia as an education destination with about 500,000 international students in country for study purposes explains part of the buoyancy of the “other” category.

As is indicated previously in Figure 1 holidaymaking is the most important source of arrivals to Australia while business travel is the smallest market. However, as shown in the figure, market for holiday maker is also the most vulnerable as indicated by the sharp decline in arrivals for this purposes in 1999, 2001 to 2003 and 2006 onwards. This cateory of travellers have been the most susecptible to international crisis.

Over the past thirty years visiting relatives has generally acounted for the second largest share, though it feel briefly behind the “other” category just after the turn of the century. It is clear that the visiting relatives and the other categories are closely related.

Table 8 shows short term arrivals for the purposes of VFR by country of origin. The volume of VFR may be expected to be heavily dependent upon the stock of migrants in a destination. Table 9 shows arrivals by country of origin in percentages.

 

Table 8. Short Term Movement – Arrival by Country of Origin (for Visiting Relatives) Total Short Term Movement Arrival Short Term Movement Arrival

(Visiting Relatives)

28 United States

of America 271800 316800 446500 456000 39281 62915 92049 92476

29 Vietnam 3000 5300 9200 19000 2227 1378 2546 7613

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Table 9. Short Term Movement – Arrival by Country of Origin in percentage

No. Country List Total Short Term Movement Arrival

28 United States

In 1991 by far the greatest number of arrivals for VFR purposes were from New Zealand with 139,809 (38.3%), followed by the UK with 45424 (12.4%) and the USA with 39,281 (10.8%) In 2006, Zealand still had the greatest number of VFR tourists to Australia rising to 278,595 but had a smaller percentage of the total (30.99%). The second largest VFR market was again the UK with 118886 (13.2%) followed by USA with 92,476 (10.3%).

 

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