Domestic tourism in Australia - statistics & facts
From navigating the bustling streets of Sydney to surfing the waves of the Gold Coast, Australians love to explore and journey through the diverse landscapes from metropolises and mountains to rainforests and seashores that their own country offers. Australia’s domestic travel market is vital to the country’s economy, contributing more to Australia’s direct tourism GDP than international tourism. While the country’s international visitor economy struggled significantly throughout the pandemic, the domestic travel market remained comparatively steady. Domestic visitor numbers remained just shy of the pre-pandemic level in 2023. Nonetheless, local visitor expenditure reached a ten-year-high, boding well for the future of the country’s domestic travel economy and the thousands of tourism businesses whose livelihoods depend on it.
Traveling for holiday and leisure purposes was the most common reason for journeying domestically in Australia in 2023, with visiting friends and relatives also making up a large proportion of domestic overnight trips. In 2023, over 104 million domestic day trips were made by Australians to go on holiday, with a further 60 million taken to visit friends or family and 23 million for business purposes. Visitors tended to stay at a friend or relative’s property during domestic visits or at travel accommodations, such as hotels, resorts, and motels. Backpacking and hostel stays were least favored among domestic tourists.
Domestic travel behavior in Australia
Over 110 million domestic overnight trips were recorded across Australia in 2023, with overnight trip numbers peaking in 2019. On these trips, tourists spent over 100 billion Australian dollars, with New South Wales bringing in the highest domestic tourist expenditure across all states. Accommodation, meals, and airfares accounted for the highest spending on domestic trips in Australia by activity in 2023. New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria were by far the leading destinations for domestic overnight tourists in Australia that year, with New South Wales coming out on top as the most popular state for domestic overnight visitors.Traveling for holiday and leisure purposes was the most common reason for journeying domestically in Australia in 2023, with visiting friends and relatives also making up a large proportion of domestic overnight trips. In 2023, over 104 million domestic day trips were made by Australians to go on holiday, with a further 60 million taken to visit friends or family and 23 million for business purposes. Visitors tended to stay at a friend or relative’s property during domestic visits or at travel accommodations, such as hotels, resorts, and motels. Backpacking and hostel stays were least favored among domestic tourists.
