More Asia tourists traveling to Australia
More Asia tourists traveling to Australia
SYDNEY (AFP): The rapid growth in travel from the booming
economies of Asia helped boost tourist arrivals in Australia to
another record high of 3.36 million in 1994, according to data
released yesterday.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed short-term
visitors up 12 percent on the 1993 record total.
Japan was once again the major source country, setting new
records ahead of neighboring New Zealand and Britain, with Asian
tigers like Singapore and South Korea also sending record numbers
here.
New Zealand sent fewer tourists this year but still retained
its second place with 14 percent of the total.
Tourism Minister Michael Lee said the growth figures showed
tourism policies and marketing initiatives were on track and
supported the Tourism Forecasting Council's prediction of 6.3
million visitors in Australia by 2000.
"We have not only built on our success in the traditional
markets of the U.K., the U.S., and importantly Japan but the
outstanding results for 1994 demonstrate the benefits of
targeting the booming economies of our Asian neighbors," Lee said
in a statement.
Japanese visitors, who made up 21 percent of arrivals, were up
seven per cent to 720,900 and the market is expected to continue
growing, although it may be slowed in the short term because of
the impact of the Kobe earthquake, the Bureau of Tourism Research
warned.
Visitors from South Korea rose 78 percent to 110,700, those
from Indonesia rose 48 percent 105,600, from Taiwan 31 percent to
142,500, from Singapore 21 percent to 187,500 and from Hong Kong
19 percent to 109,400).
British visitors made up 10 percent of the total, rising by
eight percent, while those from the United States rose three
percent.
The bulk of short-term visitors -- 63 percent -- came here for
a holiday while 18 percent visited friends or relatives and 10
percent traveled for business reasons.
The number of people immigrating to Australia also rose last
year, by 23 percent from 65,680 in 1993 to 80,950.