3401.0 - Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, Dec 2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/02/2012   
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MEDIA RELEASE
7 February 2012
Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra Time)
11/2012
Short-term resident departures reach all time high

Australian residents taking short-term trips overseas reached an all time high in 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). In 2011, Australians made 7.8 million visits, up from 7.1 million visits in 2010 and more than double the levels ten years ago (3.4 million visits in 2001).

New Zealand was the most popular destination in 2011, with over 1.1 million visits. The next most popular destination countries are Indonesia, USA, Thailand and the UK.

Females were younger than male travellers with a median age of 39.4 years, compared to 41.4 for males. The peak age group for all short-term resident departures in 2011 was 45-49 years.

Over half (57%) of all short-term resident departures in 2011 reported holiday as their main reason for travelling. This was followed by visiting friends and relatives (22%) and business (10%).

The most populous states provided the most residents for short-term travel overseas in 2011. Residents of New South Wales contributed 35% of all short-term resident departures in 2011. This was followed by Victoria with 25%, Queensland with 17%, Western Australia with 15%, South Australia with 5%, the Australian Capital Territory with 2% and Tasmania and the Northern Territory with 1% each.

Further information on both short-term resident departures and short-term visitor arrivals is available in Overseas Arrivals and Departures, December 2011 (cat. no. 3401.0).

Media notes:
1. When reporting ABS data the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must be attributed as the source.
2. Figures in this media release are based on original series.