China News Service, August 10. According to a report compiled by Australia.com, Australia's international tourism industry is experiencing a strong rebound, but so far this rebound has not appeared in "two-way traffic", and the number of outbound tourists is higher than that of inbound tourists. The number is more than 80% higher.

Australia's inbound tourism resumes slowly

  The Herald Sun reported on the 7th that data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that 420,110 Australians made short-term outbound trips in May, about 81% more than the 231,480 short-term inbound tourists.

In the same period of 2019, the number of outbound tourists was about 39% higher than that of inbound tourists.

  Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Peter Shelley said high airfares, delays in visa applications, global insecurity and deteriorating economic sentiment were all weighing on short-term travel confidence.

"With so many influencing factors, people's willingness to travel long distances has been dampened by concerns, which has led many travelers to opt for places closer to home," he said.

Australia's outbound tourist traffic is rapidly recovering

  The huge disparity in the number of outbound and inbound tourists is also reflected in the passenger traffic of major international airlines.

Emirates' outbound passenger load factor in Australia in May was 87 per cent, compared with 63 per cent in 2010.

Qatar Airway has a passenger load factor of just under 70 per cent for inbound flights and 90 per cent for outbound flights.

United Airlines has a load factor of 56 per cent for inbound Australia and 63 per cent for outbound flights.

  Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said there was no doubt the Covid-19 pandemic had created ongoing challenges for the travel industry.

"Many of the problems we're seeing right now are short-term problems, and while it's important to address them, we're also looking at long-term problems," he said.

  Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show Australia's short-term visitor numbers are 34 per cent of pre-coronavirus levels, but the number of outbound tourists has rebounded to 45 per cent of pre-coronavirus levels.

While short-term departures rose strongly month-on-month, arrivals in May actually fell 1.9% compared to April.

Victoria's ski season attracts 1 million visitors

  According to The Age, strong demand from Australians for skiing is helping Victoria's ski tourism industry recover from the outbreak.

The Victorian Alpine resort has attracted more than 1 million visitors so far this year, up from 700,000 in the same period in 2019.

  The early snow has kept Victoria's ski areas open earlier than usual, and Australian Ski Areas Association chief executive Colin Hackworth said visitor numbers were expected to exceed pre-pandemic peaks.

He said the early start of the ski season, coupled with a flood of tourists to the Alpine resorts, gave hope to business operators who were hit hard during the 2019 and 2020 lockdowns that severely limited the number of tourists.

  Late July and early August are usually the best times to play snow in Victoria, but the ski season can sometimes extend beyond September.

(Wang Yuqing)