Australia
New Zealand
Other Countries
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Published 2 Jan 2025 · Updated 19 Nov 2025
Key Highlights:
- Over 620,000 Australians travelled to the UK in 2024 (year ending June), a 14.81% increase from 540,000 visitors in 2023.
- Over 615,000 UK residents visited Australia in 2024 (year ending June), a 7.27% increase compared to 573,560 visitors in 2023.
- UK residents accounted for 3.08% of Australia's outbound travel in 2023, with 1.17 million Australians travelling to the UK for the year ending December.
How many Australians visit the UK each year?
Over 1.2 million Australians visited the UK in the year ending June 2025, almost doubling (+93.5%) the 620,000 visitors recorded in 2024. This is the strongest result on record and reflects a massive resurgence in long-haul travel.
Prior to the pandemic, 670,000 Australians travelled to the UK in 2019. The 2025 figures show that travel has not only recovered but significantly surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with Australian travel to the UK now nearly 80% higher than in 2019.
- Annual Breakdown (Year ending June):
- 2025: 1,200,000 visitors (+93.5% from 2024)
- 2024: 620,000 visitors (+14.81% from 2023)
- 2023: 540,000 visitors (+315.38% from 2022).
- 2022: 130,000 visitors.
- 2019: 670,000 visitors.
The UK remains one of the most popular destinations for Australians, especially for leisure, heritage, and family visits. Major drawcards continue to include London, Edinburgh, and iconic regions across England, Scotland, and Wales.
How many British people visit Australia each year?
In the year ending June 2025, approximately 669,390 UK residents visited Australia, representing an 8.79% increase from the 615,280 visitors recorded in 2024.
Prior to the pandemic, 718,580 UK residents travelled to Australia in 2019. While 2025 volumes have not yet reached that peak, they show a strong recovery trend, with numbers steadily climbing back toward pre-pandemic levels.
- Annual Breakdown (Year ending June):
- 2025: 669,390 visitors (+8.79% from 2024)
- 2024: 615,280 visitors (+7.27% from 2023).
- 2023: 573,560 visitors (+44.45% from 2022).
- 2022: 397,210 visitors.
- 2019: 718,580 visitors.
The most popular destinations for UK travellers in Australia include Sydney, Melbourne, and Queensland's coastal regions.
What are the top sources of visitors to Australia?
Australia welcomed 8.36 million international visitors in the year ending June 2025, reflecting a continued rebound in global travel and strong performance across key source markets.
- Countries contributing to Australia's international tourism include:
- New Zealand: 1.39 million visitors (16.6%)
- China: 953,000 visits (11.4%)
- United States: 715,000 visits (8.5%)
- United Kingdom: 669,000 visits (8.0%)
- India: 451,000 visits (5.4%)
- Japan: 423,000 visits (5.0%)
- Singapore: 397,000 visits (4.7%)
- South Korea: 374,000 visits (4.4%)
- Indonesia: 227,000 visits (2.7%)
- Hong Kong: 221,000 visits (2.6%)
- Visitors from the United Kingdom accounted for 8.0% of total arrivals, ranking 4th among the top source countries for Australia.
- Australia’s annual averages for international arrivals typically range between 6 million and 9 million visitors.
Australia Distribution of Outbound Trips (Year ended December)
| Main country visited | 2013 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 950,730 | 1,400,730 | 612,450 | 1,368,050 | 13.71% |
| New Zealand | 1,161,530 | 1,462,810 | 707,990 | 1,263,540 | 12.67% |
| USA | 972,020 | 1,055,590 | 462,570 | 667,080 | 6.69% |
| UK | 563,160 | 663,430 | 416,260 | 604,980 | 6.06% |
| Japan | 195,650 | 522,150 | 65,770 | 509,100 | 5.10% |
| Thailand | 626,620 | 542,920 | 241,830 | 500,890 | 5.02% |
| India | 239,650 | 426,110 | 329,220 | 488,980 | 4.90% |
| Fiji | 339,680 | 345,020 | 318,760 | 387,480 | 3.88% |
| Vietnam | 227,710 | 317,100 | 132,070 | 332,650 | 3.33% |
| Singapore | 340,440 | 416,720 | 226,070 | 326,220 | 3.27% |
| Other Countries | 3,092,410 | 4,156,330 | 1,712,650 | 3,526,260 | 35.35% |
| Total Outbound Visit | 8,709,600 | 11,308,910 | 5,225,640 | 9,975,230 | 100.00% |
What are the top sources of visitors to the UK?
In 2024 (year ending December), the United States remained the leading source of visitors to the UK, contributing 5.59 million arrivals, equal to 13.12% of all international visits.
- Australia contributed 1.23 million visitors, ranking 9th overall and accounting for 2.89% of total international arrivals in 2024.
UK's Overseas visitor arrivals (Year ended December)
| Main country source | 2024 Visits | 2024 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 5,590,000 | 13.12% |
| France | 3,610,000 | 8.47% |
| Germany | 3,340,000 | 7.84% |
| Republic of Ireland | 2,940,000 | 6.90% |
| Spain | 2,560,000 | 6.01% |
| Netherlands | 1,970,000 | 4.63% |
| Italy | 1,870,000 | 4.39% |
| Poland | 1,450,000 | 3.40% |
| Australia | 1,230,000 | 2.89% |
| Canada | 940,000 | 2.21% |
| Other Countries | 17,140,000 | 40.14% |
| Total International Visitors | 42,600,000 | 100.00% |
Where do Australians travel most?
In 2025 (year ending June), Indonesia remained the most visited overseas destination for Australians, with 1.74 million travellers, further strengthening its position as Australia’s top outbound destination. New Zealand followed with 1.40 million Australian visitors, continuing to be a key market despite no longer holding the top spot—a position it had maintained for more than fifty years.
- The United Kingdom continues to be a significant destination for Australians, maintaining its place among the most popular long-haul travel locations.
Australia's Overseas Visitor Arrivals (Year ended June)
| Main country source | 2014 ('000s) | 2019 ('000s) | 2023 ('000s) | 2024 ('000s) | 2024 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1,226.57 | 1,407.24 | 1,082.42 | 1,367.38 | 17.17% |
| China | 773.72 | 1,432.89 | 241.73 | 800.39 | 10.05% |
| USA | 538.16 | 811.98 | 557.29 | 714.79 | 8.97% |
| UK | 671 | 718.58 | 573.56 | 615.28 | 7.72% |
| India | 189 | 372.04 | 383.38 | 416.44 | 5.23% |
| Singapore | 357.95 | 464.85 | 357.43 | 392.34 | 4.93% |
| Japan | 330.67 | 484.3 | 173.15 | 360.12 | 4.52% |
| Korea, South | 199.58 | 280.71 | 169.72 | 353.17 | 4.43% |
| Indonesia | 152.49 | 214.84 | 164.9 | 215.69 | 2.71% |
| Hong Kong | 197.16 | 309.58 | 116.57 | 211.24 | 2.65% |
| Other Countries | 2,088.77 | 2,846.98 | 2,036.29 | 2,519.20 | 31.62% |
| Total International Visitors | 6,725.08 | 9,343.99 | 5,856.44 | 7,966.04 | 100.00% |
- Australia Tourism Statistics
- Australia–Indonesia Travel Statistics
- Australia–Japan Travel Statistics
- Australia–New Zealand Travel Statistics
- Australia–USA Travel Statistics
- Warner Bros. Movie World Tourism Statistics
Where do British people travel most?
Spain remains the most popular destination for UK residents, with 17.45 million visits in 2024 (year ending December), continuing its dominance as the top outbound destination for UK travellers.
- Although the number of UK residents travelling to Australia is comparatively lower, Australia continues to build momentum as a long-haul destination. Visits reached 596,870 in 2023 (year ending December) and 564,000 in 2024 (year ending December), reflecting sustained interest despite year-to-year fluctuations.
UK-resident traveller (Year ended December)
| Main country visited | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 18,129,000 | 4,225,000 | 15,623,000 | 17,808,000 | 17,446,000 |
| France | 10,347,000 | 1,593,000 | 7,433,000 | 9,159,000 | 4,064,000 |
| Italy | 5,105,000 | 856,000 | 3,991,000 | 4,889,000 | 4,540,000 |
| Greece | 3,438,000 | 1,148,000 | 3,688,000 | 4,131,000 | 3,771,000 |
| Portugal | 3,311,000 | 1,164,000 | 3,643,000 | 3,961,000 | 3,641,000 |
| USA | 4,805,000 | 502,000 | 3,410,000 | 3,900,000 | 4,022,000 |
| Republic of Ireland | 4,786,000 | 1,051,000 | 2,824,000 | 3,439,000 | 3,026,000 |
| Turkey | 2,291,000 | 351,000 | 2,563,000 | 3,203,000 | 4,075,000 |
| Poland | 3,231,000 | 942,000 | 2,392,000 | 2,766,000 | 1,942,000 |
| Netherlands | 3,573,000 | 209,000 | 1,931,000 | 2,662,000 | 2,607,000 |
| Other Countries | 34,070,000 | 7,101,000 | 23,453,000 | 30,288,000 | 31,346,000 |
| Total Outbound Visit | 93,086,000 | 19,142,000 | 70,951,000 | 86,206,000 | 80,480,000 |
References
- ABS: Overseas arrivals and departures, Australia · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- ABS: Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia (Jun 2024) · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- ABS: Indonesia overtakes New Zealand as top destination for Australian travellers · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Stats NZ: International travel, June 2024 · stats.govt.nz
- ONS: Travel trends 2019 · ons.gov.uk
- ONS: Travel trends 2021 · ons.gov.uk
- ONS: Travel trends 2022 · ons.gov.uk
- ONS — Travel Trends: 2023 · ons.gov.uk
