The table illustrates the number of Australian tourists visiting seven popular destinations in 1999 and 2009, along with the corresponding growth rates.
Overall, all destinations experienced an increase in Australian visitors over the ten-year period. New Zealand attracted the largest number of tourists, while China recorded the fastest rate of growth.
In both years, New Zealand consistently dominated as the leading destination, with visitor arrivals more than doubling from approximately 500,700 in 1999 to just over 1.06 million in 2009. The United Kingdom retained second place, rising from 400,000 to 640,000, which equates to a 60% growth. By contrast, the United States, although ranking third in both years, experienced a comparatively marginal increase of only 33%, climbing from 300,000 to 400,000, the slowest growth rate among all destinations.
In contrast to the relatively modest growth in Western countries, Asian and Pacific destinations witnessed far steeper rises. China, for instance, recorded the most dramatic increase, with visitor numbers surging more than threefold from just 86,000 in 1999 to 300,000 in 2009, equivalent to a growth rate of 249%. Japan also registered a surge of 150% in arrivals, climbing from 100,000 to 250,000 over the same period. Similarly, Indonesia and Fiji experienced substantial growth, with figures rising from 150,000 to 340,000 and from 120,000 to 257,000, representing increases of 127% and 114%, respectively.