Australian tourism holds up despite global challenges

Australia continued to prove a popular travel destination last year despite the emergence of global problems such as the economic downturn and the swine flu outbreak.

The number of international visitors to the country remained steady, a trend that highlighted its "resilience", according to Tourism Australia.

Inbound tourism from major markets such as the UK, New Zealand and Germany was consistent with the previous year, while growth was recorded from the US, Singapore, India and other countries.

Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia, said: "These results show practical plans to lessen the impact of global events on travel to Australia last year have worked to a point."

He added: "It is more than just the visitor numbers that we want to grow and we will remain focused on growing the economic contribution that international visitors deliver to the Australian economy each year."

The agency revealed that its focus this year will be to "vigorously market" Australia in some of its key markets around the world.

Travellers can reach the country by catching flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other major cities.