USA Tourism in Australia - Statistics [2020]

Updated: 08 October 2020

How many American tourists visit Australia each year?

An estimated 582,600 visitors from the US travelled to Australia for the year ending June 20201
  • Visitors from the US decreased by 28.3% when compared with the 811,900 of the previous year
  • The effects of the coronavirus travel restrictions are the main cause of this dramatic decrease
  • The US was the 3rd highest source of visitors to Australia in 2019/20
Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ

Impact of the Coronavirus on American Tourist Expenditure

Visitors from the US spent an estimated $2.9 billion during visits to Australia in the year ending June 2020
  • Spending was down 27.5% when compared with the $4 billion of the previous year
Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ

How many American tourists visited Australia in 2019?

Over 811,000 American tourists visited Australia between July 2018 and June 2019, a record peak. The number of visitors has been growing steadily since 2010.1

American tourism through the years

  • American tourism increased by 3% in 2018/19 compared with 787,600 the previous year.
  • Despite a slight drop in the early 2000s, American visitors to Australia have generally been on the rise.
American visitors to Australia between 1990 and 2019.
Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ, USA

The USA's share in the Australian tourism industry

  • The USA accounted for 9.0% of all tourism in Australia for the 2018/19 year.
  • The USA currently ranks 3rd for the top visitors to Australia.

Top countries that sent visitors to Australia in 2019

Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ

Reasons Americans visit Australia

  • Holidays are cited as the most common reason Americans visit Australia.
  • Many also come to visit friends and relatives.
Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ, USA

The USA's contribution to tourism expenditure in Australia

  • At an estimated $4B in 2018/19, the USA accounted for 9% of all expenditure from international tourists, ranking 2nd.2
  • The top spender for 2018/19 was China at $11.9B.
Australian tourism top spenders in 2019 by country.
Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ

Top American Travel Trends in 2019

What do American tourists spend on in Australia?

  • Americans rank 1st in spending on food, drink and accommodation at $65 per day.
  • Americans also rank 1st for tours and transport at $62 per day.
  • Comparatively, American tourists spend only $9 per day on education, showing that their main reason to visit is holidays.
Australian visitor spends per day in 2019 (by country)
Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ

How long do American tourists stay in Australia?

  • The average length of stay was 17 nights, significantly lower than the overall average of 32.
    • This could be attributed to the lower number of vacation days american workers receive each year

The USA's travel patterns and Australia's share

  • An estimated 42% of Americans hold a passport.3
  • The most popular destinations for American tourists are Mexico and Europe, according to 2018 NTTO statistics, with over 36 million visitors to Mexico alone.4
  • Despite attracting over 800,000 visitors, Australia still ranks low on places Americans visit.
  • Oceania is 8th on the list of regions Americans visit, with only a 0.9% market share.

Travel Statistics Resources

References

  1. ABS: Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, August 2019 ↩
  2. TRA: International Visitor Survey, 2019 ↩
  3. US Department of State: U.S Passport Statistics, 2019 ↩
  4. NTTO: U.S Citizen Travel to International Regions, 2018 Analysis ↩