Australian tourist departures down

Australian tourist departures down

CANBERRA: The number of Australians traveling to other countries fell 0.6 percent in April, the third decline in four months since December's Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.

About 384,800 Australians traveled overseas in April, compared with 387,100 in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in a report released on its Web site.

Countries affected by the Dec. 26 disaster, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, have urged tourists to return to the region's beaches and resorts. Tourism is Malaysia's second-biggest foreign- exchange earner after manufacturing.

Australians spend about A$15 billion (US$11.3 billion) on goods and services traveling overseas each year, representing about 10 percent of the country's total imports.

The number of overseas visitors to Australia fell 1.4 percent to 460,400 in April from the previous month.-- Bloomberg