The NSW visitor economy reported a record-breaking year in FY24, achieving a new high of $52.9 billion in total expenditure and exceeding pre-pandemic levels for both international visitor nights and spending – hitting $12.2 billion in the year to June 2024. The latest Tourism Research Australia (TRA) data shows NSW was Australia’s top destination for international visitors, visitor nights and expenditure during the period. The NSW visitor economy’s top three international source markets were the US, New Zealand and China – with China overtaking the UK to take out third place in FY24. International visitor spending rose to $11.1 billion in Sydney and $1.2 billion in regional NSW, surpassing expenditure during the same period in 2019. Overall, the NSW visitor economy welcomed 101.6 million domestic and international visitors in FY24. Sydney was the number one Australian capital city for visitors, visitor nights and expenditure in FY24. It received 37.5 million international and domestic visitors who spent $26.8 billion – 20 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. NSW Tourism Minister John Graham said: “The latest data confirms that NSW is Australia’s number one destination for both domestic and international visitors.” “NSW attracted record-breaking visitor expenditure throughout the last financial year and is leading Australia’s international visitor revival.” NSW aims to be the premier visitor economy in the Asia-Pacific region by 2030. Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox said: “NSW continues to break its own records for visitor economy growth and Destination NSW has a laser focus on leveraging the state’s strengths to fast-track the return of international visitation to 2019 levels.” In the 12 months to June 2024, Australia received eight million international visitors – up 2.1 million (36%) on the previous year but still 1.4 million visitors down (15%) on 2019 levels. For More info, Click. ( destinationnsw.com.au )

Today represents a historic moment for Qantas as the Flying Kangaroo launches its first-ever A380 flight to Johannesburg. The launch marks the Aussie carrier’s debut of the Airbus superjumbo in Africa and signifies a major expansion of Qantas' presence in the continent. Marking the first A380 flights across the Southern Indian Ocean, Qantas’ upgauged service will operate up to six times per week, nearly doubling capacity and offering an additional 130,000 seats between Australia and Africa annually. In addition to the A380 service, Qantas has announced plans to relaunch direct flights between Perth and Johannesburg in mid-2025. The dual service – Sydney-Johannesburg and Perth-Johannesburg – shows how Southern Africa, and in particular South Africa, could be featuring in the holiday plans of more and more Aussie travellers. But it’s also great news for two-tourism. And QF’s increased capacity will certainly help facilitate this. In September, Qantas also unveiled a new non-stop service between Melbourne and Honolulu ( https://karryon.com.au/industry-news/airline/qantas-links-melb-honolulu/ ) from early May 2025 and kicked off its new Brisbane-Port Vila (Vanuatu) service ( https://karryon.com.au/industry-news/qantas-starts-first-bne-port-vila/ ).

why now is the time to jump onboard ocean cruising. In perfect timing for cruise month, Carnival Splendor returned to Australia in September, fresh from an extensive refurb in Singapore and ready to sail year-round from Sydney. Diamond Princess also arrived in Sydney last month – and some 60 more cruise ships will make their way Down Under ( https://karryon.com.au/industry-news/cruise/cruise-ships-australia-24-25/ ) for the summer cruise season. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Managing Director Australasia, Joel Katz says the 2024-25 summer will be another busy season for cruising. “Australia will host a total of 62 cruise ships over the 2024-25 summer season, which is among the busiest schedules we’ve seen in local waters,” says Katz. AO Travel 撰稿

This luxury outback oasis perfectly captures the essence of Ulu ṟ u, Australia’s most important cultural and spiritual site. Set on rich red soil with 550-million-year-old Ulu ṟ u as its backdrop, five-star Sails in the Desert couldn’t be better placed for discovering the culture and beauty of Australia's Red Centre. This unmissable resort weaves rugged landscapes with modern luxury, offering a wealth of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, contemporary and expansive rooms, a sparkling pool and some of the region’s best restaurants and bars. For more Sales in the Desert, Please visit. ( https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au )