8634.0 - Tourism Indicators, Australia, Sep 1999  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/02/2000   
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MEDIA RELEASE

February 24, 2000
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
19/2000

Tourist accommodation takings reach new levels - ABS

Accommodation takings from hotels, motels, guest houses and serviced apartments were the highest quarterly figure ever recorded of $1,078 million for the September quarter 1999 (up 8% on September 1998), according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures published today.

The figures published in Tourism Indicators Australia show that for three of the last four quarters accommodation takings have exceeded $1 billion, with the exception of the June quarter 1999 low season, where takings were $946 million, but still a significant increase of 7% over the June quarter 1998.

During the September quarter 1999, the number of room nights occupied reached a record high of 10.4 million, which was 8% higher than for the same quarter in 1998. This growth in demand was reflected in all States and Territories.

The capacity of Australia's accommodation establishments is also on the rise, with the number of guest rooms available in hotels, motels, guest houses and serviced apartments increasing by more than 4% over the last twelve months to 186,840. Serviced apartments' guest rooms continue to be the fastest growing sector of the accommodation industry, up by 20% since the same time last year.

While demand for accommodation and the level of takings have increased, the ratio of takings for each room night occupied has levelled at $104 and has remained around this value for the past two years.

Short-term visitor arrivals in Australia during the September quarter 1999 totalled 1.1 million, up 8% on the previous year. The increase in visitors from the UK was the most marked — arrivals were up by 38% on the same period the previous year.

Tourism Indicators Australia also includes a series of brief articles on:
  • The Directory of Tourism Statistics;
  • The Survey of Motor Vehicle Use;
  • The Australian Tourism Satellite Accounts;
  • Tourism and the Olympics, and;
  • Overseas travel by Australians who are retired or near retirement.

Further details are in Tourism Indicators Australia, September Quarter 1999 (cat. no. 8634.0), available from ABS Bookshops.

To find out how to purchase a copy of this publication, telephone the ABS Bookshop or ABS switchboard in your capital city (listed under Australian Bureau of Statistics in each capital city telephone dirctory).