Australian tourism outstripping predictions

Tourism Australia says the country's tourism industry is performing better than expected, with the industry expected to be worth AU$115 billion (£76 billion) by the end of the decade.

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Tourism in Australia is a burgeoning industry.

The strong Australian dollar combined with poor economies in traditional sources of international tourists had led Tourism Australia to conservatively predict the industry would grow to just AU$97 billion (£65 billion) by 2020.

However, growing rates of international visitors over the past three years have pushed that prediction much higher, in line with Tourism Australia's own goal of being worth between $115 billion and $140 billion by 2020.

"The good news is that after three good years we're on track to get to the bottom end of that [goal]," said Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy.

Mr McEvoy said the remote location of the country was Australia's handicap in the global tourism industry but the quality of its attractions would see it succeed, citing its rank as 42nd in the world for tourist arrivals.

"But we're number eight in the world for tourism receipts, that's spend by visitors in our country," he said.

"We are in many ways a boutique destination that will never win in volume but we can for yield."

The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications with the Australian Embassy.