Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Stewart for her question. I know she has a great interest in the tourism sector, as it affects the great state of Victoria. On Tuesday, Australia's latest tourism forecasts for 2023-2028 were released, showing a stronger outlook for international arrivals growth than previous predictions. The forecast tells us that international tourist spend in Australia will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2024. International arrivals in Australia will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2025, and domestic tourism spend, which already exceeds its pre-pandemic level, will continue to rise. In Senator Stewart's home state, domestic visitor nights are due to increase by eight per cent this year. This is thanks to the reopening of China to outbound travel and a more positive look for the return of Chinese visitation to Australia, sustained high growth in international arrivals to Australia throughout 2023 to date, continued reopening of flight routes and commencement of new flight routes connecting Australia to the broader markets.

Of course, we know that tourism businesses still face challenges. Unlike those opposite, who withdrew critical support nearly a year before Australia's international borders reopened, this government is committed to continuing our work with industry to help it rebuild and grow. We're delivering a package of support designed in consultation with industry to address the challenges industry identified as barriers to its recovery. And as the tourism forecasts show, the outlook for the future of Australian tourism industry is a positive one.