Tourism Australia: Australia is a 'highly demanded' tourist destination
Tourism Australia executive general manager of strategy and culture Rob Dougan, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific, stated (31-Jul-2025) Australia is a "highly demanded" tourist destination. However, Mr Dougan emphasised that the inbound travel is influenced by distance, time and money. Mr Dougan said: "How long it takes to get here and the cost of getting here are the things which are really going to shape the types of people and the types of trips that are going to be taken in Australia in the future".
Background ✨
Australia's status as a desirable destination was consistently highlighted by industry leaders, although challenges such as high costs and distance were noted as barriers to inbound tourism growth. Traffic trends have recently begun shifting toward inbound markets after many years of outbound dominance, with stakeholders emphasising the need for increased aviation capacity and strategies to encourage longer stays and greater spending by international visitors1 2 3 4.