The table compares how many Australian people paid a visit to the seven most popular destinations in 1999 and 2009.
Overall, the figures for all nations increased by varying degrees with the number of people travelling to New Zealand was consistently the highest over 10 years. In contrast, China witnessed the most incredible growth in their Australian visitors.
In 1999, the number of Australian people visiting New Zealand was 500700, which made New Zealand the most popular choice for visiting. The United Kingdom and the United States welcomed 400000 and 300000 Australian visitors, respectively. Other popular destinations in Asia were Indonesia (150000 visitors), Fiji (120000 visitors) and Japan (100000 visitors). Finally, China received the lowest number of Australian visitors, only 86000 in 1999.
By 2009, however, all those nations witnessed a rise in their Australian visitors. To begin with, New Zealand reflected a 113% growth rate, from 500700 in 1999 to 1064000 in 2009. Similarly, the UK and the US also experienced an increase in their Australian visitors numbers, rising from 400000 to 640000 (60%) and from 300000 to 400000 (33%), in that order. Other countries such as Indonesia, Fiji and Japan followed the similar pattern, increasing significantly by 127%, 114% and 150% to 340000, 257000, 250000 over the ten-year period. Additionally, China experienced the highest rise in Australian tourists, surging 249% from 86000 to 300000.