Travel to Australia

Gross revenue from tourism has seen its largest increase in Australia since 1998-99.

The value has increased by 7.9% to $32,306 million and there has been a similar percentage growth in the economy as a whole, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australians spending the tourist dollar within Australia has increased by 6.8% to $63 billion whilst revenue from tourists outside Australia is up by 9.8% to $22 billion.

As a percentage share of Australia's gross domestic product (GDP), tourism stayed unchanged from the previous year at 3.7%, indicating there has been a similar rate of growth to the Australian economy as a whole.

The inception of the Tourism Satellite Account, allows statistical information to measure the financial effect of the tourism industry on the Australian economy, by calculating the demand for supply of tourism products from Australian and international business and leisure visitors.

There were 482,800 people employed in the tourism industry in Australia in 2006-07, which was up on 2005/6 by 1.1%.

The International Cruise Council of Australasia has just released figures showing that the number of Australians who took a cruise last year was 263,435, more than ever before.

160,947 of these took cruises around Australia and New Zealand whilst 23,900 took Asia cruises. Those who cruised Europe and Canada/Alaska amounted to about 42,000 with this figure being equally split.

Richard Cranmer, the chairman of the council, confirmed that these figures represented a rise in cruise passengers for the fifth consecutive year since records began in 2002.

Interestingly those Australians taking an Ocean cruise amounted to over 250,000
whereas more than 10,000 took a long-haul trip to experience a European river cruise.

The overall figure represents a 14% growth in the number of Australians taking a cruise compared to the record 11% growth in the UK market and the 4.6% in the U.S. Market.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship has announced changes to the Electronic Travel Authority System (ETAS) to take effect from 21st April 2008.
April 2008.

The changes will mean most ETA applications will be unaffected and instant processing will continue as normal. A minority of cases however, will require extra processing increasing the time required to grant ETA visas.
If issuing does not take place immediately, applicants or their agents will need to re-check the status of the ETA visa application after 12 hours, to confirm whether or not it has been granted.

For those wishing to travel to Australia with an ETA visa, sufficient time for processing should be allowed.

Senator Chris Evans, the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, has announced that there will be a new visa available for the crew of privately owned and commercial super-yachts as from October 2008.

The Rudd Government’s election promise and pledge, to help tourism in such places as the Australian state of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef area, will materialise in part, in the form of a new visa class enabling the crews of super-yachts to work in Australia.

The new multiple entry visas will allow commercial or privately owned super-yacht crews to work in Australia for up to twelve months. Senator Evans stated that the new multiple entry visas will let super-yacht crews work in Australia.

The niche but growing super-yacht tourism business in Australia will be greatly assisted by the inception of the new visa, which will come into effect as from October 2008.

Existing Australian visa’s such as the Business Long visa (457) and the Maritime Crew Visa have been inadequate to cover super-yacht crews and this has inhibited growth in this Australian tourism sector.

As from 1st May 2008 and as a temporary measure, super-yacht crews wishing to work in Australia will be able to apply for the Business Short Stay (456) visa, which is normally only appropriate for Australian visitors flying into the country and staying for less than three months.