Tourism Research Australia (TRA) stated (Dec-2022) strong expenditure continued for domestic holidays and visiting friends and relatives in Sep-2022. Business expenditure improved greatly, exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the first time. The number of overnight trips for holiday purposes increased. However, visiting friends and relatives and business trip numbers remained down. In Sep-2022, Australians:
- Spent AUD5.6 billion (USD3.8 billion) while travelling for holiday purposes and took 4.2 million trips. Spend was up 51% compared to Sep-2019;
- Spent AUD1.6 billion (USD1.1 billion) while travelling to visit friends and relatives and took 2.8 million trips. Spend was up 23% compared to Sep-2019;
- Spent AUD2.2 billion (USD1.5 billion) while travelling for business purposes and took 2.2 million trips. Spend was up 10% compared to Sep-2019. The number of business trips was down 9% compared to Sep-2019. [more - original PR]