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Media Release

Weaker Aussie dollar draws international tourists

Weaker Aussie dollar draws international tourists

11 January 2019

The weaker Australian dollar is bringing international tourists to our shores with airlines reaping the benefits, the latest travel data shows.

A record 41.3 million passengers travelled through Australia’s international airport terminals over the year to October, according to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE).

CommSec’s Senior Economist, Ryan Felsman, said international carriers are responding to increased demand from overseas tourists with the number of seats on flights to and from Australia lifting by almost 4 per cent to 4.5 million over the 12 months to October.

“The Aussie dollars’ near 10 per cent decline against the greenback last year - and recent falls to three-year lows of US67.41 cents last week - represent good news for Aussie tourist operators,” Felsman said.

“Overseas holidaymakers are flocking Down Under in record numbers and recent data from Austrade and BITRE suggests that international tourists are heading further afield to regional Australia once disembarking at capital city airports,” he added.

BITRE releases data on domestic and international aviation each month.

The latest data included:

  • International scheduled passenger traffic through Australian airports increased to 3.55 million in October 2018 from 3.37 million in October 2017 – an increase of 5.3 per cent. Passenger traffic for the year ended October 2018 was 41.319 million, up by 5.2 per cent over the year.
  • According to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) international scheduled passenger traffic in October 2018 was 3.547 million compared to 3.370 million in October 2017 – an increase of 5.3 per cent.
  • Passenger traffic for the year ended October 2018 was 41.319 million, up by 5.2 per cent over the year.
  • Total seats made available on international scheduled operations to/from Australia in October 2018 were 4.534 million – an increase of 3.8 per cent over the year. Overall seat utilisation increased from 79.7 per cent in October 2017 to 80.3 per cent in October 2018.
  • The Qantas group – Qantas Airways, Jetstar and Jetstar Asia accounted for 26.6 per cent of total passenger carriage in October 2018. The group’s share in October 2017 was 26.4 per cent.
  • The share of passenger traffic accounted for by Australian designated airlines has increased from 32 per cent in October 2017 to 33 per cent in October 2018.
  • Low cost carriers, AirAsia X, Cebu Pacific Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Jetstar, Jetstar Asia and Scoot Tigerair accounted for 14.5 per cent of total international passenger traffic in October 2018. The low cost carriers’ share in October 2017 was 16.4 per cent.

Read the full report.