China News Service, May 14 (Australia.com). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that only 307,000 overseas tourists came to Australia in March, a year-on-year decrease of 60%, the worst since mid-1995 Monthly statistics are expected to decline even more in April.
"Times" reported on the 12th that due to the impact of the travel ban, Australia's largest source of overseas tourists and overseas students-China, the number of people coming to Australia has dropped sharply, resulting in an increase in the number of vacant houses and raising public concerns about the tourism industry's long-term prospects. In March, tourists from China decreased by 78%, while tourists from the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand decreased by 47%, 62% and 56% respectively. Compared with March 2019, the number of tourists holding international student visas has decreased by 16%.
In this regard, Simon Westaway, CEO of the Australian Tourism Industry Council, said that tourism companies are struggling to survive, and the current data is "very bad." He said: "In essence, in the past 6 to 8 weeks, no one was allowed to travel. Most tourism companies hope that before the arrival of overseas tourists, the domestic market can recover."
At the same time, the third phase of the federal government's "three-step" recovery plan has made it possible to lift travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand. Westerway said: "The only hope for the restoration of international travel is to trans-Tasman waters (trans-Tasman) border, which will require a consistent approach between Australia and New Zealand in health examinations and other aspects."