Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator O'Sullivan for his question. I am very pleased to be able to inform the Senate that today's tourism industry figures indicate that the industry is performing exceptionally well. You do not have to take my word for it; reports from Deloitte, McKinsey and the Business Council of Australia have confirmed that tourism is one of Australia's super-growth sectors and it is underpinning our economic future.

Just this morning, we saw a string of tourism records smashed with the release of the latest international visitor survey. The number of international visitors to Australia increased by eight per cent. Expenditure increased by 18 per cent to reach a new record high of $36.6 billion. That is an impressive rise of $5.5 billion in just one year. This is the largest increase on record and the highest percentage growth since the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Tourism contributes $100 billion a year to the Australian economy—that is, three per cent of our GDP. It is also a critical contributor to the development of regional Australia, accounting for 14 per cent of our regional economies. The government's efforts to increase flight capacity, visa reforms and targeted international marketing campaigns, as well as the lower Australian dollar, have all contributed to this very, very strong growth.