Australian tourist industry upbeat after record year
Australian tourist industry upbeat after record year
Australia experienced a record year for tourism in 2007, figures have revealed.Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that 5.6 million international visitors arrived in the country in 2007, a rise of two per cent on the previous year.
And although there are signs that the tourism industry in the country slowed slightly at the start of 2008, Geoff Buckley, managing director of Tourism Australia, remains confident.
He explained that despite challenges such as competition from other destinations and the increased value of the Australian dollar, he believes the country will remain popular with visitors.
Mr Buckley said: "Indications are that in spite of the challenges there is still strong desire for Australia as a business and leisure destination.
"Tourism Australia research in international markets indicates that desire for Australia has increased in the past year especially in the UK and South Korea."
He added that during the first few months of this year, the number of people visiting the nation from
China,
Malaysia and
Germany increased.
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world in terms of area and has a population of around 20 million people.
This article was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.
11 March 2008
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