Australians are traveling to the United States in record numbers. Some facts from Visit USA, Australia:
—Australia is one of only two top-ten markets to register visitor growth in 2009.
—It is the eight largest market for overseas visitors.
—The forecast for 2011 is that Australian travelers to the United States will increase 12 percent.
—Australian travelers to the United States are characterized by long stays (average of 24 nights) and high spending.
—The most popular months for Australians to travel to the United States are September-October, December, and May-July.
—Eighty five percent of Australian travelers to the United States are leisure travelers and most are FIT (Independent) travelers.
—Australians travel throughout the US but the most popular areas are New York and California.
—The most popular activities for Australian travelers visiting the United States include: dining in restaurants, shopping, sightseeing in cities, attending concerts/plays/musicals, taking guided tours, and visiting historical places, art galleries, museums, small towns, amusement/theme parks, and cultural heritage sites.
Reasons for the trend cited by Visit USA:
—“Extremely competitive airfares.”
—A strong Australian dollar against the US currency.
By David Wilkening
