The latest month report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that, even though the value of the Australian dollar vs. the U.S. dollar has plummeted 20 percent in the past year, Australians do not seem to have abandoned the U.S. as a travel destination. (Historical data show that the USA is the number one long-haul destination for Australian overseas travelers.) While the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) has been unable to provide 2015 monthly arrivals data for country markets, the ABS data for outbound travel in April seems to be stable vs. 2014.
Short-Term Resident Departures from Australia
Trend estimates: Short-term resident departures during April 2015 (784,200 movements) increased 0.3 percent compared with March 2015 (781,900 movements). This followed monthly increases of 0.6 percent n February 2015 and 0.5 percent in March 2015. The current trend estimate for departures is 4.2 percent higher than in April 2014.- Seasonally adjusted† estimates: During April 2015, short-term resident departures (776,500 movements) decreased 2.0 percent compared with March 2015 (792,400 movements). This followed monthly increases of 0.1 percent in February 2015 and 2.1 percent in March 2015.
| Apr-15 | March-April 2015 change | Apr 2014-2015 change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trend | 784,200 | 0.30% | 4.20% |
| Seasonally adjusted | 776,500 | -2.00% | - -* |
* Not Applicable
† “Seasonally adjusted” is the process whereby normal seasonal changes are removed or discounted from monthly data. For example, analysts know that some months show large fluctuations in travel data because data history show that people travel more or less certain times
