Top 5 Australian Cities Growing In Tourism and Air Connections

Australia's major cities are ramping up their business and leisure offerings in tandem with a boom in tourism and air connections

- Valerian Ho

Australia is no stranger to tourism. Her iconic wildlife and culture, enviable weather and outdoorsy pursuits provide a constant lure to global travelers.

But according to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, the tourism industry is set for “supercharged growth” in the next few years, with Asia – and China in particular – set to dominate the inbound market.

As the official Tourism Research Australia forecast shows, Asia-Pacific already accounts for 64 percent of all visitor growth, with China alone making a 29 percent contribution.

Statistics also reveal an upturn of foreign business investments by major advanced economies, including the US, Japan, UK and Canada, with an expectation that this will greatly increase the numbers of corporate travelers and MICE activities over the next few years.

Stimulating this growth is a massive increase in air traffic, driven in part by the rise of low-cost carriers, but also by increased services and frequencies from major airlines targeting the rapid development in Australia’s various cities. New runways and terminal facilities are being built across the country to accommodate the burgeoning airline and customer needs.

Huge developments in Australia’s major cities are also underway to increase hotel openings and update facilities such as convention centers and entertainment districts to satisfy the demand from rising traveler numbers. Here’s a rundown of the key developments in five of Australia’s main urban centers.

ADELAIDE

In 2015, the South Australian government reached out to international airlines amid concerns Adelaide Airport was experiencing a slump in passenger traffic. In response, in December 2016 China Southern Airlines launched a three-times weekly direct service from Guangzhou – the city’s first regular air link to mainland China.