The FINANCIAL -- The Tourism Satellite Account, released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, shows the tourism industry’s contribution to the Australian economy rose in 2010-11.

Growth was driven by international visitor consumption growing by 4.4 per cent due to increased arrivals, particularly from Asia.  Domestic tourist consumption grew by 2.1 per cent.The Australian tourism industry has been coping with the effects of a strong Australian dollar, the legacy of the global financial crisis, fierce competition from overseas and natural disasters in Queensland, Japan and New Zealand.

The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, said these were robust figures given the volatile market for global travel.Enhancements to this year’s Tourism Satellite Account, showing both full-time and part-time tourism employment data, reflects a continued investment by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.

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