International research
Explore the latest survey results and market profiles
On this page
- International visitation data
- International tourism summaries
The Tourism, Events and Visitor Economy's (TEVE) international research data includes:
- the latest International Visitors Survey results for Victoria by campaign region and by country of origin, including visitors, nights and expenditure
- future visitation forecasts
- international tourism summaries providing the latest tourism data by market including information on visitor numbers, nights and expenditure, purpose of visit, trends, growth and market share, regional dispersal and places visited, repeat visitation and aviation share data.
International visitation
International Visitor Survey results, year ending March 2020:
Figure 1: Key international visitor highlights for Victoria
Figure 2: International overnight visitation summary results
For the year ending March 2020, key points include:
- The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has had a significant negative impact on key international measures in the latest year ending March 2020 results. International spend growth in Victoria was at its lowest level on record since the year ending June 2006, with the state experiencing almost 14 years of uninterrupted spend growth.
- International overnight expenditure in Victoria decreased by 4.9% to $8.1 billion in the year ending March 2020, down $418 million compared to the same period last year. Declines were noted nationally, with Victoria’s performance in line with Queensland (-4.9%) and less than the national average decline (-6.7%) and New South Wales (-10.9%).
- Results comparing the March 2020 quarter with March 2019, better reflect the impact of crises on key measures, with Victoria suffering a substantial 21.9% decline in international overnight spend in this period compared to the March quarter 2019. This was less than the national rate of decline in the period (-27.0%).
- Victoria and New South Wales recorded similar rates of decline for visitors (-33.6% and -33.5% respectively) for the March 2020 quarter compared to the same period last year, with high falls also noted for Queensland (-31.0%) and nationally (-28.3%).
- Declines in spend were noted in most markets, reflecting the impacts of progressive travel bans and growing concerns about travel due to coronavirus (COVID-19). However, strong growth in spend was noted from Japan, Korea and Thailand in the year ending March 2020 results.
- Chinese visitor expenditure in Victoria declined by 11.7% to $2.9 billion over the year, falling $520 million from the last results for the year ending December 2019, the largest fall in spend of all markets. Victoria’s rate of decline for Chinese spend was less than the national average (-13.9%).
- Melbourne also noted a decline in international spend over the year (-4.7% to $7.6 billion), with a higher rate of decline in spend recorded for regional Victoria (-7.5% to $538 million).
Note: The International Visitor Survey (IVS) for the year ending December 2018 release included data revisions back to 2005. Please do not use/compare previously published data prior to the year ending December 2018 data release.
Next release: October 2020 (TBC)
Visit the Tourism Research Australia website;
How many international travellers visit Victoria, where do they come from and how much do they spend?
- International Visitor Survey infographic year ending March 2020 (PDF 294.98 KB)
- International visitation and expenditure year ending March 2020 (XLSX 803.3 KB)
Previous release: International visitation and expenditure - year ending December 2019 (XLSX 754.63 KB)
How many international travellers will visit Victoria in the future?
- Tourism Forecast 2019 - Victorian Summary (PDF 944.54 KB)
- Tourism Forecast 2019 - Victorian tables (XLSX 496.26 KB)
- Visit Tourism Research Australia for more including interactive dashboards.
Want to know more about our international markets?
Tourism Australia produces a range of information on international visitation research and market intelligence including market segmentation studies, visitor profiles and aviation information.
Other international research
- The research report on Chinese Free and Independent Travellers – their potential for Regional Australia was released in March 2019 and can be found on the Tourism Research Australia website.
The report focusses on the Chinese free and independent travellers (FIT) market who are more likely to stay longer and disperse beyond Australia’s major gateway cities, compared with their non-FIT or group tour counterparts. The research assesses the barriers which inhibit greater regional dispersal and identifies areas for possible action and considers the issue of regional dispersal from both supply and demand sides.
- Research on International Education within the Visitor Economy was released in October 2018.
The research includes a profile of international education visitors, top spending origin markets, travel to Melbourne and regional Victoria, activities undertaken and forecast figures. - Research on Chinese visitors to Victoria was released in October 2018.
The research includes a profile of Chinese visitors, travel to regional Victoria, activities undertaken and forecast figures, as well as insights on Chinese-born residents living and studying in Victoria. - Research on Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) in Victoria, focusing on the Chinese and Indian markets, was released on 29 June 2017 and can be found on the Tourism Research Australia website.
The research explores the motivations, behaviours and influences of these visitors and their hosts. Insights and opportunities are included in the executive summary and infographics with a comprehensive report available upon request.
International tourism summaries
Updated bi-annually, Victoria's Top 10 International Markets Factsheet year ending December 2019 (PDF 647.66 KB) provides a snapshot of Victoria’s top international source markets in terms of visitors, nights and expenditure, along with growth and splits for Melbourne and Regional Victoria.
The below documents, updated annually, provide a summary of the latest tourism data for visitors from different international markets to Victoria.
Information includes:
- visitor numbers
- nights and expenditure
- trends, growth and market share
- purpose of visit
- regional dispersal and places visited
- repeat visitation
- related aviation shares.
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Page updated: 11 Aug 2020