Austrade is helping build resilience in Australia’s visitor economy. We do this by supporting efforts to attract and better service travel for increased leisure, business and education. Welcoming more visitors from the Southeast Asia, China and India markets is central to the tourism industry’s future success.
We also acknowledge the value of Australians travelling abroad to support increased air access and strengthening bilateral partnerships. Australia’s long-term visitor economy strategy, THRIVE 2030, recognises this.
We support efforts to build international visitor markets in several ways.
We lead work to:
We work closely with Tourism Australia, the Australian Government agency responsible for international tourism marketing. For further information on Tourism Australia's objectives visit Tourism Australia.
We implement tourism actions outlined in these Australian Government strategies and roadmaps:
We advise on and support:
China is Australia's 2nd largest market for overseas arrivals and contributes about 25% of total international visitor spend in Australia.
In July 2025, Australia and China renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tourism Cooperation between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (China). The MoU will assist in growing traveller numbers to benefit the tourism industry across Australia’s cities and regions. Austrade is listed as an implementing partner of the MoU, along with Tourism Australia.
Australia manages the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme in Australia with support from the Department of Home Affairs and Tourism Australia. This scheme allows Chinese tourists to travel to Australia in guided groups.
Diversification is a pillar of Australia’s visitor economy strategy, THRIVE 2030.
This means attracting visitors from more overseas markets and market segments. Using targeted approaches to create a broad portfolio of source markets will build a more resilient visitor economy.
Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 aims to create greater trade and investment with Southeast Asia. This national strategy lists the visitor economy as a priority sector for ties with Southeast Asia.
Austrade is working with Tourism Australia to implement Recommendations 56 to 58 of the strategy.
These recommendations are:
India is Australia’s 5th largest market for overseas arrivals. The Indian visitor market has major untapped potential.
The Australian Government released A New Roadmap for Australia's Economic Engagement with India. Tourism is one of four focus sectors identified to accelerate Australia’s economic engagement with India.
Strengthening tourism cooperation is a core component of the upgraded Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam. The two-way flow of visitors between the countries has already been increasing.
The governments have an Australia – Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy.
As part of this strategy, Austrade has cooperated with the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and industry on the Strengthening Australia – Vietnam Tourism Cooperation (SAVTC) Project. Funding was made available by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Actions funded and delivered under the SAVTC Project aim to increase industry awareness of the opportunities of and barriers to increased two-way visitation. These actions include:
Austrade supports Australia’s engagement in tourism related multilateral organisations of which Australia is a member, including:
For more targeted data, Tourism Research Australia has developed individual market profiles to help Government, industry, operators, peak bodies and researchers better understand the international visitor economy.
Explore the Market profiles on the Tourism Research Australia wesite.
Read more about THRIVE 2030.