SPECIAL SUBJECT REVIEW
The International Backpacker Market
Key results for YE December 2019
This report was commissioned by Destination Byron on behalf of its members to support their approach to a ‘sustainable & responsible’
visitor economy in the Byron Shire
more information email: [email protected]
destinationbyron.com.au
DEFINING BACKPACKERS In this Special Subject Review, Backpackers those who spend at least 10% of their trip nights in Backpacker/Hostel accommodation and stay at least 14 nights in Australia. This definition can be consistently applied in the International Visitor Survey (IVS) over several years.
MARKET PROFILE ~ NORTH COAST REGION
MARKET PROFILE ~ BYRON SHIRE
MARKET PROFILE ~ AUSTRALIA
The top 10 markets in 2018/19 accounted for over 70% of the backpacker market.
The UK and Germany have held first and second position (respectively) for several years.
328 324 323 329312
287307 299 300
286 287 290 282
200220240260280300320340
2006
/07
2007
/08
2008
/09
2009
/10
2010
/11
2011
/12
2012
/13
2013
/14
2014
/15
2015
/16
2016
/17
2017
/18
2018
/19
Visit
ors (
000)
Visitors
26.0
m
24.2
m
26.3
m
25.2
m
23.6
m
23.6
m
27.3
m
25.3
m
24.2
m
21.6
m
21.4
m
21.0
m
20.8
m
0
10
20
30
40
200
6/07
200
7/08
200
8/09
200
9/10
201
0/11
201
1/12
201
2/13
201
3/14
201
4/15
201
5/16
201
6/17
201
7/18
201
8/19
Nig
hts (
m)
Visitor Nights in Australia
79 7581 77 76
8289 85 81 76 74 72 74
200
6/07
200
7/08
200
8/09
200
9/10
201
0/11
201
1/12
201
2/13
201
3/14
201
4/15
201
5/16
201
6/17
201
7/18
201
8/19
Nig
hts
Average Length of Stay - Australia
MARKET SIZE & CHANGE OVER TIME ~ AUSTRALIA
Over the period 2006/07 - 2018/19
§ Average 304,000 p.a. § High point 329,000 (09/10) § Low point 282,000 (18/19) § Declining at 1.3% p.a. § Market has stalled.
§ The Backpacker market is slowly declining § The year 2018/19 represented the lowest in terms of Backpacker visitors and visitor nights
to date § Overall spend in Australia is relatively stable (not considering inflation) § Spend per night has risen slightly in recent years.
Over the period 2006/07 - 2018/19
§ Average 23.9m p.a. § High point 27.3m (12/13) § Low point 20.8m (18/19) § Declining at 1.8% p.a.
Over the period 2006/07 - 2018/19
§ Average 78 nights per visit § High point 89 nights (12/13) § Low point 72 nights (17/18) § Clear downwards trend
since 12/13
$1.9
b
$1.8
b
$2.0
b
$1.9
b
$1.7
b
$1.6
b
$1.8
b
$1.6
b
$1.7
b
$1.6
b
$1.6
b
$1.6
b
$1.6
b
200
6/07
200
7/08
200
8/09
200
9/10
201
0/11
201
1/12
201
2/13
201
3/14
201
4/15
201
5/16
201
6/17
201
7/18
201
8/19
$ bi
llion
Total Expenditure in Australia5,
640
5,59
0
6,09
0
5,77
0
5,37
0
5,54
0
5,75
0
5,46
0
5,52
0
5,53
0
5,57
0
5,50
0
5,66
0
200
6/07
200
7/08
200
8/09
200
9/10
201
0/11
201
1/12
201
2/13
201
3/14
201
4/15
201
5/16
201
6/17
201
7/18
201
8/19
$
Average Spend per Visit in Australia
$71 $75 $75 $75 $71 $67 $65 $65 $69 $73 $75 $76 $77
200
6/07
200
7/08
200
8/09
200
9/10
201
0/11
201
1/12
201
2/13
201
3/14
201
4/15
201
5/16
201
6/17
201
7/18
201
8/19
$
Average spend per Night in Australia
Over the period 2006/07 - 2018/19
§ Average $1.71b § 'Flatlining' over past 4 years
Over the period 2006/07 - 2018/19
§ Average $5,615 § No growth over time. § Reduction when inflation
considered.
Over the period 2006/07 - 2018/19
§ Average $72 § Potential growth trend over
recent years but not significant.
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