Chinese lead 'remarkably good' year for Australian tourism

Industry chiefs say the past year has been remarkably good for Australian tourism, despite the strong dollar, natural disasters in Queensland and global economic woes.

Figures released today show the number of visitors coming to Australia was up by three per cent in the year to June.

Tourism Research Australia's International Visitor Survey showed visitor nights also rose by four per cent, and spending by five per cent.

Business travel was buoyant - numbers were up nine per cent with Asian markets the strongest performers, led by China with an increase of 26 per cent.

New South Wales remained the most popular destination for tourists, with 51 per cent visiting the state.

"Despite the regular reports of doom and gloom, the fact is that 2011 has been a remarkably good year so far for Australia tourism," Tourism Australia boss Andrew McEvoy said in a statement.

"In the near world, the Asia Pacific region continues to deliver strong growth, led by China, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Indonesia and New Zealand.

" ... in the far world, the longer-haul UK, Eurozone and US markets, still in the grip of ongoing financial difficulties, had small declines."

Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said the figures were encouraging, considering global economic trends and the high Australian dollar.

But he noted: "Domestic tourism makes up three quarters of the sector and some parts of Australia are still doing it tough."

He urged Australians to support the local industry by holidaying at home.