Bogan exodus gives way to Chinese influx

By Leith van Onselen

September was a good month for Australia’s tourism industry, with the release yesterday of the overseas short-term arrivals and departures figures showing a rise in the number of inbound tourists and a reduction of out-bound tourists.

The number of short-term visitor arrivals rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in September, whereas short-term resident departures fell by 0.6% over the month. The the ratio of annual arrivals to departures also rose to 75.3% to the highest level since November 2011 (see next chart).