Australia is last place British tourists want to visit: poll of UK tourists

Of 63 per cent who said they planned to travel anywhere within the next three months, only 40 per cent said they intended to head abroad.

In bad news for Australian tourism operators, Australia was last on their list. Instead, 78 per cent of those heading abroad intended to go to Europe, 15 per cent to North America, 12 per cent to Asia and 10 per cent to Africa.

Even South America turned out to be a more desirable destination than Australia, with 7 per cent planning to travel there compared to the 6 per cent who said they would be including Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland or Adelaide in this year’s travel plans.

Western Australia remains closed.

Further, 70 per cent of all surveyed said they had no intention of, and would not consider, travelling to Australia next year either, with cost and distance proving the biggest deterrents – 63 per cent said it was too expensive.

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But the polling suggested that Australia’s harsh COVID-19 restrictions had not turned off the British with only 10 per cent saying it had made the country a less desirable destination which was more than outweighed by 13 per cent who said Australia’s pandemic management had made it more desirable to visit.

Skyscanner has seen a significant rise in bookings since Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the border would reopen, up 199 per cent in the first day with the strongest bookings recorded in Britain, followed by Germany with demand also from India and Ireland.

A spokeswoman said: “There is an initial spike as travellers respond immediately to the changes with flight searches and bookings, most likely those looking to reunite with family and friends as soon as possible, followed by sustained positive demand.”

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This means Australia could struggle to convert the initial rush of friends and relatives into high-spending tourists.

The number of tourists visiting Australia in 2019, the year before the border was shut, reached its highest-ever level: 9.4 million.

The top source country was China, followed by New Zealand, the US, Britain and Japan. Chinese tourists spent $12.4 billion that year, while tourists from New Zealand, Britain, US and Japan spent about that amount combined.

China is pursuing a Zero-COVID strategy meaning international travel is rare, due to the 21-day hotel quarantine required on return.