Chart of the week #22: Where Australians traveled in 2024
Now that we’re well into 2025 we’re starting to get the final data updates completing the 2024 calendar year. This includes the rich ABS data on Overseas Arrivals and Departures that measures short-term arrivals into Australia for both visitors and residents. In our first chart of the week last year we put together a cool animation showing how the destinations that Australians traveled to have evolved over the last 16 years. With 2024 now complete, it’s time to reassess.
As one might expect, travel to Asia dominates with 47% of all trips in 2024 and having increased from 42% and 43% in 2023 and 2019, respectively (increases aren’t linear - more about that later). Shares to other regions have remained relatively stable with the exception of the Americans where the share of total is still significantly lower than its pre-pandemic baseline.
The top 10 destinations have continued to see movement. Indonesia has sustained its position at the top after taking it from New Zealand in 2023. Indonesia continued to grow, increasing by 23% between 2023 and 2024, while New Zealand only grew by 8%. Travel to New Zealand is still 7% below the pre-pandemic baseline, while Indonesia is 20% higher than 2019.
Meanwhile, the United States and United Kingdom have fallen further behind despite year-on-year growth of 10% and 3%, respectively. They still remain 30% and 6% below their pre-pandemic baselines. China follows a similar trend, albeit with a surge in year-on-year growth of 85%, but still 4% below its pre-pandemic baseline. China’s slow catch-up partially accounts for the non-linearity in total Asian growth.
The beneficiaries of these declines have been other Asian and South Asian countries. Japan has surged up to the 3rd most popular destination for Australians, now 53% higher than the pre-pandemic baseline! Thailand and India have maintained their positions, but have also seen 17% and 12% growth above their pre-pandemic baselines, and 8% and 29% year-on-year growth, while Vietnam has also risen into the top 10.
There are interesting country-by-country variations that you can explore on the interactive map yourself! Notably are the large increases in popularity of European summer destinations, including Greece, Italy and Turkey, and increases in Korea matching that of Japan. Also of note are the declines in travel to Israel and Russia, likely the result of politics and conflict.
Just a reminder of our last “Chart of the week”, that considered Australia’s domestic airline market share, highlight some interesting recent changes and seasonal variations.
Chart of the week #21: Australian domestic airline market share
With the publication of the February edition of the ACCC’s Domestic airline competition monitoring report we got the final instalment of 2024’s domestic passenger volumes and market shares.