INBOUND holiday travel into Australia for Apr was down 15.1% when compared to the same period in 2017, according to data compiled by Ord Minnett senior research analyst John O’Shea.
The weak results were partially attributed to a changing Easter period between 2017 and 2018, however O’Shea said this is “unlikely to explain the entire magnitude” of the downturn.
The annual holiday growth rate now sits at -0.9% and continues a recent trend of material slowing.
Most of the major Asian markets were down for inbound travel in Apr, with Hong Kong (-52.5%), Singapore (-33.4%), and Malaysia (-23.6%) dropping the most against the previous corresponding period.
Bucking the trend was China which showed signs of recovery in Apr, climbing up 1.3% on Apr last year, with Japan (9.3%) and Taiwan (5.5.%) performing the best in the region.
Downturns also plagued the European and American markets for the month, with the United States posting a slide of 18.4%, the United Kingdom down 22.6%, & Germany lost 19.8% of ground.
Inbound numbers for New Zealand also dropped in Apr, with a 21.2% decline recorded when compared to its 2017 results.
Pictured: holiday arrivals into Australia — moving annual totals.
Source: traveldaily