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Overseas arrivals and departures, Australia - 2024-25 financial year

Annual statistics on short-term international travel arriving in and departing from Australia.

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Released
14/08/2025
Source
Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, June 2025
Released
14/08/2025 11:30am AEST

Short-term visitor arrivals (STVA)

Compares annual international travel arrivals over time by source country, state and territory, age and sex, main reason for journey and median duration of trip. All analysis in this section is done on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

For the previous release, see the Annual analysis articles section of Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia.

For visitors arriving in Australia in 2024-25:

  • There were 8,402,400 visitor arrivals – an increase of 5.5% on one year earlier
  • New Zealand was the largest source country, accounting for 16.6% of visitors
  • The most popular reason for travel was ‘holiday’ (43.5%)
  • The median duration of stay in Australia was 12 days, the same as in 2023-24.

These statistics report on the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people. Most data in this release are rounded to the nearest 10. As a result, sums of components may not add exactly to totals.

Annual visitor arrivals

There were 8,402,400 visitor arrivals in 2024-25. This is an increase of 5.5% on the previous year, when there were 7,966,040 visitor arrivals.

Visitor arrivals have increased since border restrictions associated with COVID-19 were removed in February 2022 but remain lower than pre-COVID levels. The number of arrivals in June 2025 was 94.6% of the same month in 2019. This represents a continued increase on June 2024 arrivals (89.0% of June 2019 arrivals) and June 2023 arrivals (82.1% of June 2019 arrivals).

Visitor arrivals to Australia have generally been increasing over recent decades, with a continuous increase in the 10-year period ending 2019. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, a substantial decline was observed from February 2020 onwards. International borders were fully re-opened in February 2022, with an increase in visitor arrivals seen every year since then. There have been other historical events which have impacted the numbers of visitor arrivals to Australia, although not to the same extent as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peaks were seen during the:

  • Brisbane Expo in 1988
  • Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Decreases were observed during the:

  • Asian financial crisis in 1998
  • September 11 attacks in the USA in 2001
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003
  • Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008
  • Global COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020. 

Countries where visitors came from

The top 5 source countries for 2024-25 were New Zealand, China, the USA, the UK and India.

In 2024-25:

  • Short-term visitor arrivals for all top 5 source countries except for the USA were higher than the previous year.
  • New Zealand remained the largest source country for visitor arrivals with 1,391,140 visits.
  • Arrivals from China were the second highest with 953,200 visits.
  • ‘Holiday’ was the top reason for journey for visitors from New Zealand, China and the USA, while visitors from the UK and India were more often ‘visiting friends/relatives’.

Ten years ago, in 2014-15, the top 5 source countries were New Zealand, China, the UK, the USA and Singapore.

  1. Top 5 source countries based on year ending June 2025.
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

Visitor arrivals have increased since the removal of travel restrictions in February 2022, but the rates of recovery for visitor numbers from different countries have varied.

Three of the top 10 source countries in 2024-25 exceeded pre-COVID levels: South Korea (reaching 133.1% of 2018-19 arrivals), India (121.2% of 2018-19 arrivals) and Indonesia (105.5% of 2018-19 arrivals). Of the top 10, China had the lowest number relative to pre-COVID, with 66.5% of 2018-19 arrivals.

  1. Top 10 source countries ordered by highest number of arrivals (from left to right), for the year ending June 2025.
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.
1.6 Short-term visitor arrivals, Australia - top 10 source countries(a) - selected years
Country of residence2014-15 ('000)2018-19 ('000)2023-24 ('000)2024-25 ('000)
New Zealand1,270.881,407.241,367.381,391.14
China(b)935.971,432.89800.39953.20
USA584.57811.98714.79714.77
UK667.17718.58615.28669.39
India223.46372.04416.44451.09
Singapore363.48464.85392.34422.68
Japan332.74484.30360.12397.08
Korea, South212.42280.71353.17373.54
Indonesia158.34214.84215.69226.65
Hong Kong202.43309.58211.24220.62
All countries7,138.779,343.997,966.048,402.40
  1. Top 10 source countries based on year ending June 2025.
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

STVA - state or territory of stay

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. 

For 2024-25:

  • New South Wales had the highest number of visitor arrivals (37.4%)
  • The Northern Territory recorded the fewest visitor arrivals (0.7%).

1.7 Proportion of short-term visitor arrivals by state/territory of residence(a) - 2024-25 (%)

This map presents the proportion of short-term visitor arrivals in Australia in 2024-25, by their intended state or territory of stay.

  1. As a percentage of all short-term visitor arrivals.

Ten years ago, in 2014-15, the Northern Territory had a larger proportion of visitor arrivals (1.4%) than the Australian Capital Territory (1.0%) and Tasmania (0.7%). In 2024-25, the Australian Capital Territory (1.2%) and Tasmania (1.0%) both had larger proportions of visitor arrivals than the Northern Territory (0.7%).

All states and territories except the Northern Territory recorded an overall increase in international visitors in the years prior to 2020. While most states recorded steady annual growth in the years prior to 2020, the Northern Territory and South Australia experienced fluctuations in visitor numbers. All states and territories observed a considerable drop in visitor numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the removal of travel restrictions in February 2022, visitor arrivals have increased in all states and territories but have increased towards pre-COVID levels at different rates. In 2024-25, visitor arrivals to Western Australia reached 102.6% of 2018-19 movements, the highest of any state or territory. This marks the first time a state or territory has exceeded pre-COVID visitor arrival levels in a financial year. Visitor arrivals to the Northern Territory were the lowest, with movements in 2024-25 reaching 74.0% of 2018-19 levels. 

The mix of source countries at the state and territory level was different to that at the national level. In 2024-25:

  • China was the largest source country for visitors to NSW, Vic. and ACT
  • New Zealand was the largest source country for visitors to Qld, SA and Tas.
  • Singapore was the largest source country for WA
  • The USA was the largest source country of visitors to the NT.

Ten years earlier, in 2014-15, it was similar, with the only differences in top source countries being that the UK was the leading source country for visitors to SA and WA, and New Zealand was the leading source country for visitors to NSW.

STVA - age and sex

There were more visits to Australia by females than males in 2024-25 (4,427,570 females compared with 3,974,820 males). After a long history of more male than female visitors, female short-term visits overtook male visits 10 years ago in 2014-15 (3,569,580 females 3,569,190 males). Since then, short-term visitor arrivals of females have been greater than male visits each year, with the exception of 2020-21, when short-term visitor arrivals were disrupted due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

In 2024-25, the median age for male visitors was 41 years and 42 for female visitors. Ten years ago, in 2014-15, the median age for both male and female visitors was 40. When broken down into 5-year age groups, the largest group of visitor arrivals was those aged between 25 and 29 years. For this age group, China was the top source country (111,010 arrivals). ‘Holiday’ was the most frequently stated reason for journey for those aged up to 54 years, and ‘visiting friends/relatives’ was the most frequently stated reason for journey for those aged 55 years and above. 

 

STVA - main reason for journey

Visitors are asked the main reason for their journey upon arrival in Australia.

The most common reason for journey in 2024-25 was ‘holiday’, accounting for 43.5% of visitor arrivals. In 2023-24 the most common reason for journey was also ‘holiday’, accounting for 42.7% of visitor arrivals.

  1. As a percentage of all short-term visitor arrivals.

In the pre-COVID period, ‘holiday’ was the most frequently reported reason for journey for visitor arrivals (47.3% in 2018-19), but international travel restrictions due to COVID-19 caused a change in travel behaviour. ‘Visiting friends/relatives’ became the most frequently reported reason for journey between 2020-21 and 2022-23, and proportionally fewer travellers reported ‘holiday’ as their main reason for journey. In 2023-24, ‘holiday’ returned as the most common reason for journey and remained at the top of the list in 2024-25 (accounting for 43.5% of trips).

In 2024-25, female visitors were more likely than males to record their main reason for journey as ‘holiday’ or ‘visiting friends/relatives’. Male visitors were more likely to record ‘business’, ‘employment’ or ‘convention/conference’ than female visitors.

  1. Reason for journey as a percentage of all short-term visitor arrivals for each sex.
  2. Visiting friends/relatives

STVA - duration of stay

Visitors are asked their intended duration of stay in Australia upon arrival. Analysis in this section is undertaken on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

In 2024-25, the median duration of stay in Australia was 12 days. This was similar to 10 years ago and prior to COVID-19 travel restrictions (2018-19) when the median duration of stay was 10 days. The median duration of stay was higher during years with travel restrictions (up to 26 days in 2020-21 and 25 in 2021-22) and in 2022-23 (14 days).

The median duration varied among the states and territories, as well as the source countries.

1.12 Short-term visitor arrivals, state/territory of stay - top 10 source countries(a) - median duration of stay (days) - 2024-25
NSWVicQldSAWATasNTACTAust.(b)
New Zealand568812101277
China(c)151515611515309115
USA101212141413151111
UK202121212119211821
India346160916191616161
Singapore899108101098
Japan6761078976
Korea, South791010101210107
Indonesia111211201012211011
Hong Kong101011141010131210
All countries111410201514201812
  1. Top 10 source countries ordered by highest number of arrivals for Australia (from top to bottom), for the year ending June 2025
  2. Includes Other Territories.
  3. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

In 2024-25, visitors from India recorded a median duration of stay of 61 days, which was the longest of the top 10 source countries. This was the same duration of stay as the previous year (61 days) and more than double the median duration of 30 days in 2014-15.

Of the top 10 source countries, visitors from Japan recorded the shortest stays, with a median duration of 6 days. This was the same median duration as all years from 2014-15 through 2018-19. The median duration was higher during the years with COVID-19 travel restrictions (2020-21 and 2021-22) and in 2022-23 (8 days).

The median duration of stay by state or territory was highest in the Northern Territory and South Australia at 20 days, and lowest in Queensland at 10 days, in 2024-25.

The median duration of stay for visitors travelling to Australia for ‘employment’ reasons has increased since 2014-15. ‘Employment’ surpassed ‘education’ as the reason for journey with the longest median duration of stay for short-term visitors to Australia in 2024-25 (151 days) . People travelling for ‘convention/conference’ had the shortest (6 days). 

The median duration for other reasons for journey varied:

  • ‘Education’ (126 days)
  • ‘Visiting friends/relatives’ (18 days)
  • ‘Holiday’ (9 days)
  • ‘Business’ (7 days)

Short-term resident returns (STRR)

Compares annual international travel arrivals over time by destination country, state and territory, age and sex, main reason for journey and median duration of trip. All analysis in this section is done on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

For the previous release, see the Annual analysis articles section of Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia.

For Australian residents returning to Australia in 2024-25:

  • There were 12,261,080 resident returns from overseas - an increase of 11.6% on one year earlier.
  • Indonesia was the leading destination country for Australians travelling overseas, accounting for 14.2% of overseas trips.
  • The most popular reason for travel was ‘holiday’ (60.0%).
  • The median trip duration was 15 days.

These statistics report on the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people. Most data in this release are rounded to the nearest 10. As a result, sums of components may not add exactly to totals.
 

Annual resident returns

There were 12,261,080 resident returns recorded in 2024-25. This was an increase of over 1.2 million (11.6%) on 2023-24, when 10,986,690 trips were taken.

The total number of residents returning from overseas in 2024-25 was the highest on record, increasing 11.6% on last year and surpassing the previous high set in 2018-19, by over 1 million trips. Monthly resident returns exceeded 100% of the 2019 (pre-COVID) volume every month except August in 2024-25, with monthly volumes ranging from 98.5% to 123.8% of pre-COVID volumes.

The number of Australian residents travelling overseas has largely been increasing over recent decades, with the general trend interrupted by various historical events such as the: 

  • Early 1990s recession in Australia
  • September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001
  • Bali bombings in 2002
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003
  • Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008
  • Global COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020.

A substantial decline was observed from March 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Travel by Australian residents has increased since border restrictions were removed in February 2022 and has now surpassed the volume observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Destination countries

The top 5 destination countries in 2024-25 were Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, the USA and China.

In 2024-25: 

  • Short-term resident returns for all top 5 destination countries were higher than in 2023-24, with Indonesia, Japan and China also surpassing pre-COVID volumes.
  • Indonesia was the leading destination country with 1,741,370 trips, with ’holiday’ the most frequently recorded reason for travel (87.2%).
  • Japan overtook the USA as the third most popular destination, with 910,640 residents returning from Japan in 2024-25 (compared to 746,220 for the USA).
  • The USA was the only country in the top 5 destination countries where travel volumes were lower than 10 years ago, with 253,220 fewer trips in 2024-25 than 2014-15. 

Ten years ago, in 2014-15, the top 5 countries were New Zealand, Indonesia, the USA, the UK and Thailand.

  1. Top 5 destination countries based on year ending June 2025.
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

The number of overseas trips taken by Australian residents has increased since the removal of travel restrictions in February 2022, but the rate at which travel has recovered has varied among countries.

Travel to 7 of the top 10 destination countries in 2024-25 exceeded pre-COVID levels, including Japan (reaching 188.3% of 2018-19 volumes), Vietnam (152.1%) and India (141.9%). Of the top 10, the USA had the lowest number relative to pre-COVID, with 69.2% of 2018-19 volumes.

  1. Top 10 destination countries ordered by highest number of resident returns (from left to right), for the year ending June 2025.
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.
2.6 Short-term resident returns, Australia - top 10 destination countries(a) - selected years
2014-15 ('000)2018-19 ('000)2023-24 ('000)2024-25 ('000)
Indonesia1,125.551,310.841,531.191,741.37
New Zealand1,224.841,444.171,309.861,409.32
Japan272.13483.63702.73910.64
USA999.441,078.84714.30746.22
China(b)405.21610.87520.20652.96
Thailand564.71565.27535.25643.53
UK570.93667.81618.57635.51
India276.60416.30515.00590.56
Vietnam235.45322.47388.58490.51
Fiji342.48345.35395.83408.24
All countries9,262.5111,231.8110,986.6912,261.08
  1. Top 10 destination countries based on year ending June 2025.
  2. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

STRR - state or territory of residence

All travellers are asked their intended address in Australia upon arrival. For 2024-25, the state with the highest proportion of resident returns from short-term trips was New South Wales (32.3%), whilst the Northern Territory recorded the lowest (0.7%).

2.7 Proportion of short-term resident returns by state/territory of residence(a) - 2024-25 (%)

This map presents the proportion of short-term resident returns in Australia in 2024-25, by their state or territory of residence.

  1. As a percentage of all short-term resident returns.

Ten years ago, in 2014-15, the Northern Territory had a higher proportion of resident returns (1.1%) than Tasmania (0.9%). The Northern Territory has since fallen to 0.7% of resident returns, while Tasmania has increased to 1.0% in 2024-25. Victoria had the largest increase in the proportion of resident returns, from 25.3% in 2014-15 to 27.6% in 2024-25, while Western Australia had the largest decrease, from 15.1% in 2014-15 to 13.3% in 2024-25.

Most states and territories recorded growth in the number of overseas trips taken by residents in the years prior to 2020. Western Australia remained steady from 2014 until the impact of the pandemic, while the Northern Territory fluctuated across the decade. There was a considerable drop for all states and territories from March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The removal of travel restrictions in February 2022 has resulted in an increase in international travel from residents of all states, with all states except the Northern Territory exceeding pre-COVID 2018-19 volumes this year. The Northern Territory reached 88.6% of 2018-19 volumes this year, the lowest of all states and territories. The highest volume relative to pre-COVID was for Western Australia, with 2024-25 returns reaching 118.0% of 2018-19 volumes.

The top destination country varied among the states and territories in 2024-25:

  • New Zealand was the most popular destination for residents from NSW, Qld, Tas. and the ACT
  • Indonesia was the top destination for Vic., SA, WA and the NT.

Ten years earlier, in 2014-15, the top destination for Victorian residents was New Zealand, and the USA was the top destination for residents of the ACT. The top destination remained the same for residents of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

STRR - age and sex

There were more trips taken overseas by Australian males than females in 2024-25 (6,236,740 males compared with 6,024,340 females). Ten years earlier, in 2014-15, there were also more trips taken by males than females (4,840,990 males compared with 4,421,520 females).

In 2024-25, male residents returning to Australia had a median age of 42 years, whereas female residents had a median age of 41 years. When broken down into 5-year age groups, more women than men travelled in the age range of 15 to 29 and there were more men than women in all other age groups under 100 years of age.

The largest group of resident returns was those aged between 40 and 44 years. For this age group, Indonesia was the top destination country (153,030 resident returns). In 2014-15, the median age for male visitors was 42, and 40 for female visitors.

STRR - main reason for journey

Australian residents returning from overseas are asked to provide the main reason for their journey.

The most common reason for journey in 2024-25 was ‘holiday’, accounting for 60.0% of overseas trips. This was an increase on 2023-24, when ‘holiday’ accounted for 58.3% of trips, and on 2018-19 (pre-COVID), when ‘holiday’ accounted for 57.3% of trips.

  1. As a percentage of all short-term resident returns.

Prior to COVID, ‘holiday’ was the most frequently reported reason for residents returning from overseas trips (57.3% in 2019). However, due to the impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions, ‘visiting friends/relatives’ became the most frequent reason for journey for 2020-21 and 2021-22, reaching a peak of 65.4% in May 2021. Since 2022-23, ‘holiday’ has re-emerged as the most frequently reported reason for residents returning from overseas trips. 

In 2024-25, female residents returning to Australia were more likely than male residents to record their main reason for journey as 'holiday' or 'visiting friends/relatives'. Male residents returning to Australia were more likely than female residents to record their main reason for journey as ‘business’, ‘convention/conference’ or ‘employment’.

  1. Reason for journey as a percentage of all short-term resident returns for each sex.
  2. Visiting friends/relatives

STRR - duration of stay

The exact duration of stay is measured for Australian residents returning from overseas. Analysis in this section is undertaken on short-term trips (less than 1 year).

During 2024-25, the median duration of stay for Australians travelling overseas on short-term trips was 15 days, which was the same as in 2023-24.

In 2018-19, prior to the pandemic, the median duration of short-term resident trips was 14 days, but median duration of stay increased during the pandemic.

The median duration varied among the states and territories, as well as the destination countries.

2.12 Short-term resident returns, state/territory of residence - top 10 destination countries(a) - median duration of stay (days) - 2024-25
NSWVicQldSAWATasNTACTAust.(b)
Indonesia101099811899
New Zealand7881012101198
Japan151515151616161515
USA151717192020201516
China(c)182017211718181919
Thailand121214131114171312
UK252626272429242625
India232725292327332325
Vietnam161616171416171615
Fiji77781081077
All countries151514151316141515
  1. Top 10 destination countries ordered by highest number of resident returns for Australia (from top to bottom), for the year ending June 2025.
  2. Includes Other Territories.
  3. Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

Of the top 10 destination countries, residents visiting the UK and India stayed away the longest, with a median duration of stay of 25 days. Residents travelling to Fiji had a median duration of 7 days, which was the shortest of the top 10 destination countries.

Prior to COVID, ‘employment’ was the reason for journey with the longest median duration of stay for residents returning from overseas trips. Between 2020-21 and 2022-23, ‘education’ surpassed ‘employment’ as the reason for journey with the longest median duration, however, since 2023-24, ‘employment’ has had a longer median duration. 

In 2024-25, residents travelling for ‘employment’ had a median duration of stay of 23 days. Residents travelling for ‘business’ recorded the shortest stay by median duration (7 days). The median duration of stay for other reasons for journey varied: 

  • ‘Visiting friends/relatives’ and ‘education’ (21 days)
  • ‘Holiday’ (13 days)
  • ‘Convention/conference’ (8 days).

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