Where we travelled in the year since borders reopened

Tuesday marks one year since Australians were again allowed to freely leave the country, following nearly two years of closed borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since November 1, 2021, Australians have taken more than 2.8 million trips overseas, a figure still almost 70 per cent below pre-COVID levels during the same time period.

The New Zealand, Indonesia, the United States, the United Kingdom and India were the most popular destinations over the last 12 months, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

New Zealand returned to the top of Australia’s travel hit-list, with 339,000 trips taken since last November, about half the number taken for the same period prior to the pandemic.

This was followed by trips to the Indonesia (267,000), the USA (266,000), the UK (251,000) and India (210,000).

The biggest decline in trips has been to the still-closed China, with just 9660 trips since November, compared to 492,000 prior to COVID.

More recent data shows that destinations like Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam are increasing in popularity as international travel restrictions relax and cost-of-living prices surge.

For Adelaide-based Darren Cripwell, the reopening of borders meant he could resume overseas business travel following a two-year hiatus.

With corporate offices in the Philippines and Thailand, the electrical engineer has notched up four international business trips since November, and has seen first-hand how these countries have relaxed entry requirements over time.

“When borders started opening up, I desperately needed to get out of the country… It’s just gotten easier and easier to travel since then,” said Cripwell.

“On that first trip to Thailand [last November], I had almost 16 COVID tests over two weeks. The last time I went, earlier this month, I didn’t have to have one test.”

More recently, the executive has been making up for lost time by tacking personal downtime onto his business trips.

“I had to fly to the Philippines for work recently, and couldn’t miss a quick stint in Koh Samui to see what it’s like at the moment,” Cripwell said.

Now he’s planning another four-week trip to Thailand in December, this time visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai, the Phi Phi Islands and Koh Samui.

“I have been to Thailand many times and have to say that from a food and sightseeing perspective, I have only touched the tip of the iceberg,” said Cripwell.

The most recent ABS travel data, from August, shows Thailand climbing up the list of destinations Australians are travelling to – trips have almost doubled from 26,000 in July to 46,000.

Adam Schwab, chief executive and co-founder of Luxury Escapes, noted a recent shift away from popular North American destinations to cheaper and closer-to-home alternatives, like Bali and Thailand.

“We’re seeing Thailand sales more than double pre-COVID levels… flight costs aren’t super high, unlike North America. It’s been incredible how quickly Thailand has bounced back,” said Schwab.

Once dubbed “Fortress Australia” by international media outlets due to its strict border policies, foreign tourists were welcomed back from late February, but inbound visitor numbers are still well below pre-COVID figures.

August international arrivals still form less than half of pre-pandemic numbers – down 56 per cent compared to the same month in 2019, according to ABS data.

Australia’s foreign visitor tally since February, up to August 2022, stands at 1.8 million, a decrease of 81 per cent compared to the same time period in 2019.

The bulk of Australia’s visitors are arriving from New Zealand, with over 75,000 trips recorded in August, followed by visitors from India (32,000) and Singapore (29,000).

India has stood out as one of Australia’s fastest growing tourism markets, with August figures at 97 per cent of pre-COVID levels – a spike of 45 per cent on the previous month alone. Qantas has added three new routes to India this year in response to demand, the first time the airline has flown to the country since 2012.

That figure is sure to remain strong throughout October, with the ICC T20 World Cup in Melbourne kicking off; Indian residents were the third-highest ticket buyers at around 16,000 seats, according to sales data.

AUSTRALIA’S TOP 5 OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS

• New Zealand: 339,620 (down 72% from 2019)
• Indonesia: 267,000 (down 75% from 2019)
• USA: 266,000 (down 68% from 2019)
• UK: 251,000 (down 51% from 2019)
• India: 210,000 (down 42% from 2019)

*Based on November 2021 – August 2022, when compared with the same period 2018-19