The number of Australians choosing Japan as a travel destination jumped by more than 70 percent over the past 12 months.
The latest Australian Travel Industry Association’s (ATIA) Travel Trends report revealed the East Asian island country was joined by Vietnam and Indonesia as the tourist hotspots for Aussies travelling overseas.
ATIA Director of Membership and Industry Affairs Richard Taylor said Japan recorded 73.8 percent year-on-year growth, with 567,330 Australians travelling there in the year to October.
Mr Taylor said visitors to Vietnam were up 35.4 percent, or 423,630, with Indonesia seeing an increase of 26 percent to 1,644,010.
“In terms of total travellers, Indonesia was the top destination, followed by New Zealand at 1,344,150, up 8.2 percent, and the USA at 732,490, up 13 percent.”
Mr Taylor said the most recent data showed that in October alone, 1.66 million Australians departed for international destinations, a 12.1 percent increase on the same month last year.
“Leisure travel is driving this surge, with 63.6 percent of Australians travelling for holidays.
“The strong focus on reconnecting with friends and family, as reflected in 24 percent of travellers, also highlights the personal value of travel.”
He said inbound, year-on-year, China was the fastest growing market in terms of visitors to Australia, with a 96.6 percent increase on last year.
“Visitors from South Korea to Australia have slightly overtaken Japan, with both showing near 50 percent growth on last year.”
