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Australian tourism facts

8.8 million arrivals to Australia in 2017

$41.3 billion total international visitor spend in Australia in 2017

1004 people arrive into Australia every hour

1.4 million travellers from New Zealand arrived in Australia in 2017

New Zealand was the most popular travel destination for Australians in 2017

Visitors by country

Arrivals by country

New Zealand

United States of America

United Kingdom

International arrivals by state

New South Wales

Queensland

Western Australia

South Australia

Northern Territory

International arrivals by month

Average duration of visits

The average length of trips to Australia has decreased in the past decade. In 2009 the average international trip to Australia was 35 nights, in 2017 the average was 33 nights. Holidays and backpacker trips have decreased in the same time period, while the average stay for categories like visiting friends and family and employment have increased. While the total amount of visitor nights in Australia have risen from 176,589,264 to 265,223,580 since 2009 this is the result of the increase in traffic rather than an increase in duration of stay.

Out of the top six countries for international visitors only Japan saw an increase in the average duration of trips from 2009. The average stay in 2009 for Japanese tourists was 22 nights which increased to 28 nights in 2017. Chinese tourists had the longest trips to Australia in both 2009 (54 nights) and 2017 (42 nights) and tourists from Singapore spent the least amount of time here with an average of 21 nights in 2009 and only 15 nights in 2017.

Only New Zealand saw a decrease in the total amount of nights spent in Australia from 2009, with the total dropping from 13,256,850 nights to 12,863,240 nights in 2017. Chinese tourists saw the greatest increase in the total nights spent in Australia, with 18,507,311 nights in 2009 and a total of 52,444,180 nights in 2017.

Australia vs global

Most visited destinations in 2016

Australians leaving Australia

In 2017 Australian residents undertook 9,118,000 outbound international trips. 5,115,000 of those trips were for holidaying purposes. 4,003,000 trips were for other purposes such as visiting relatives and business trips. Outbound international trips have nearly doubled in the past decade, with trips increasing from 5,143,000 total trips in 2008.

Indonesia has seen the greatest increase in outbound trips in the last decade, from 287,000 trips in 2008 to over 1 million trips in 2017. The UK saw the smallest increase in outbound trips over the past ten years with only an extra 123,000 trips from Australian residents from 2008 to 2017.

Landmarks/attractions

The Sydney Opera House

The Great Barrier Reef

Bondi Beach

Projections for the future

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Australian Tourism Statistics 2018 | Travel Research & Statistics - Budget Direct™

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Australian tourism facts 8.8 million arrivals to Australia in 2017 $41.3 billion total international visitor spend in Australia in 2017 1004 people arrive into Australia every hour 1.4 million travellers from New Zealand arrived in Australia in 2017 New Zealand was the most popular travel destination for Australians in 2017 Visitors by country Arrivals by country New Zealand United States of America United Kingdom International arrivals by state New South Wales Queensland Western Australia South Australia Northern Territory International arrivals by month Average duration of visits The average length of trips to Australia has decreased in the past decade.

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overseas students

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Australian GDP

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Overseas Students in Australian Higher Education

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Overseas Students in Australian Higher Education

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Department of Education and Training international student enrolment data are derived from the Provider Registration and International Students Management System (PRISMS) database and counts enrolments by students studying in Australia on a student visa. The data includes commencements and year-to-date counts. It is broken down by nationality, sector and state/territory.

International student enrolments in Australia 1994-2017

International student enrolment statistics for 1994 to 2017 are summarised in the chart below. This chart should be used for indicative purposes only, as data for the periods 1994-2001 and 2002-2017 are not comparable due to the different sources used to compile the data. Click on the chart to open a printable pdf copy with associated data table.

Note: There have been significant changes in methodology between 2001 and 2002.

1994 to 2001: Data were sourced from the Department of Education and Training Higher Education Statistical Collection, CRICOS, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

From 2002: Onshore student data are derived from the Commonwealth Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS). The data show enrolments across all sectors for all students holding a student visa. These do not cover students on other visas, which in the case of ELICOS, involves a large number of students on tourist visas and, to a lesser extent, working holiday visas. As a general 'rule of thumb', for each ELICOS student on a student visa there is another on a non-student visa. For further information, please see Explanatory notes for International Student Data.

The data do not cover offshore activity where Australian providers supply education services to foreign students overseas or by distance education where the student remains offshore. Data on offshore activity by Australian higher education institutions are available from the Higher Education Statistical Collection.

Monthly time series of student enrolments for 2017 - summaries by sector

The following tables give a month by month analysis of international student data by sector, including information on enrolments, commencements, finishes and year to date totals. More detailed data are contained in the 2017 Detailed Monthly Tables section below.

Please click on the images below to view the tables individually or a full set of the tables 1-6 (pdf 91KB) are available to download.

2017 pivot tables

In an effort to reduce the size of downloads, a subset of the data from 2014 onwards has been created. The full time series from 2002 onwards is available in the indicated links (as larger downloads). All pivot tables are compatible with Excel 2003 or later.

To assist you with using the Department of Education and Training pivot tables, please refer to the User Guide (pdf 1.1MB). This manual is intended to provide new users with basic pivot table skills and advice on how to browse this website to locate international student data and reports.

Please contact us if you experience any technical difficulties.

2017 detailed monthly tables

The detailed monthly tables expand on the information provided in tables one to six. These tables include information on monthly enrolments, commencements and year-to-date data. Monthly data adds new enrolments for the month to the number at the start of month.

Tables 7-12 contain information about each sector by top 10 nationalities and state and territory. These tables count the year-to-date activity up to and including the reference month.

The data in the following tables is updated throughout the year, resulting in some revision to previously published data.

Explanatory notes for Department of Education and Training international student enrolment data

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Department of Education and Training international student enrolment data are derived from the Provider Registration and International Students Management System (PRISMS) database and counts enrolments by students studying in Australia on a student visa. The data includes commencements and year-to-date counts. It is broken down by nationality, sector and state/territory.

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https://www.studiesinaustralia.com/studying-in-australia/why-study-in-australia/international-students-in-australia

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How many international students are studying in Australia?

Australia is a popular study destination with students from around the world wishing to gain a top-quality education. Each year, many new international students enrol in Australian courses and add to the already significant international student body around the country.

In 2017, 799,371 international students were enrolled in education programs in Australia. Of these, there were 350,472 international students enrolled in the higher education sector.

Which education sectors are international students studying in?

Most of the international students in Australia are studying in the higher education sector, followed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector and the schools sector (see table below).

Data shows that ELICOS continues to provide a popular pathway for international students moving into the VET and higher education sectors. In 2015, 30 per cent of international students who commenced a higher education course had previously studied in the ELICOS sector, while 37 per cent of international students who commenced a VET course in 2015 did so through an ELICOS pathway.

Foundation courses are also increasing in popularity, with enrolment numbers rising by 16 per cent each year since 2012 to sit at 28,313 students in 2017.

Which states and territories are international students studying in?

New South Wales and Victoria attract the largest numbers of international students. The other states and territories have smaller numbers of international students and smaller numbers of students overall.

Where are Australia's international students from?

The following table shows the international student enrolments for the top 10 nationalities in 2017, which made up approximately 70 per cent of Australia's enrolments in all sectors. The largest number of enrolments in the higher education sector were from China, India and Nepal; the largest in the VET sector were from India, China and the Republic of Korea; the largest in the ELICOS sector were from China, Brazil and Japan; and the largest in the schools sector were from China, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.
The information in this article was sourced from the Australian Government's Department of Education and Training 2017 international student enrolment data.

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International students in Australia | Study in Australia

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Australia is an increasingly popular study destination with students from around the world wishing to gain a top-quality education. Each year more and more students take up courses in Australia and add to the already significant international student body around the country.

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International students in Australia