Swings and roundabouts in Australian tourism

Abstract

The Australian tourism industry has experienced a dramatic turnaround in the level of both inbound and domestic demand within the past 12 months. After three consecutive years of particularly strong growth, 1989 will register a decline in international visitor arrivals. This will be the first time there has been such a decline since 1983. Similarly, the level of domestic tourism has suffered a sharp reversal in 1988/1989. Both the strong growth and the recent deterioration in Australian tourism are partly attributable to the effects of the Bicentennial and Expo events in 1988. However, more general factors have also been operating and these have been exacerbated by the impact of a major industrial dispute which has seriously disrupted domestic airline services.