The table details the number of Australians who visited seven popular countries abroad–New Zealand, United Kingdom, Unated States, Indonesia, Fiji, Japan, and China–in 1999 and 2009. The last column presents the percentage growth rate of Australian visitors.
Overall, New Zealand received the highest number of Australians in both years in question. European destinations attracted a greater number of Australian travellers in both years, while Asian regions were comparatively less popular. However, the number of visitors rose across all seven countries, albeit to varying degrees, with China witnessing the most pronounced growth and the United States experiencing the least. Notably, by 2009, Asian countries had become more common destinations for Australians.
Examining the number of Australians who visited European countries, New Zealand stood at with the highest figures, at 500,700 in 1999 and 1,064,000 in 2009–a growth of 113%. The United Kingdom also saw an increase, though to a lesser extent (60%), with numbers rising from 400,000 to 640,000 over the period. The United States came third, with the visitor count growing by 33%, from 300,000 to 400,000.With regard to Asian regions, the number of Australians was lower overall, but these destinations experienced more marked increases compared to their European counterparts. Indonesia was visited by 150,000 Australians in 2009, a figure that more than doubled to 340,000 in 2009, representing a 127% growth. Fiji followed closely, with 120,000 Australian visitors in 1999, rising by 114% to reach 257,000. Japan nearly matched Fiji, increasing from 100,000 to 250,000 (+150). Lastly, China, despite ranking last initially with only 86,000Australians, reported as staggering 249% growh, finishing the period at 300,000. This surge allowed China to overtake both Fiji and Japan by a significant margin.