According to new data released by the US International Trade Administration (TRA), 468,474 Aussies arrived in the US during the first six months of the year, compared to 478,245 over the same period in 2024. This reflects a slight two per cent drop.
However, in what US tourism authorities will be hoping is just a blip, June 2025 Aussie visitor numbers fell by a massive 10 per cent to 86,053 (from 95,776 in June last year) after tracking at a similar pace over the first five months of the year.
I know a few people who have changed plans and gone to Japan or Dubai etc instead. My old folks normally go to NYC for an annual trip but are not interested at the moment. They went to Japan instead.
Japan seems crazy popular at the moment, a few of my colleagues are there at the moment. Japan Airlines and ANA are good carriers to fly with, top notch service.
Same here on both counts. Japan is hugely popular at the moment with Aussie travellers and I know a few people who’ve been over there of late. It seems to tick a lot of boxes for people- it’s safe, not an extreme long-haul flight away, relatively affordable with the favourable exchange rate, has a rich and unique culture and it’s a great place to go skiing especially during the Aussie summer.
With America- even pre-Trump I think the weak Aussie dollar wasn’t helping with enticing people to visit there. Add in Trump and the added risk of a random interrogation or arbitrary detention and it’s little wonder people are giving it a miss.
I am glad that I went to America when I did in 2022- it’s a beautiful country especially from a natural beauty perspective but it has completely lost its way and is speeding down a very dark path at the minute.
Very soon the Aussie ski season will be unviable, so Japan will get even more popular when that happens (NZ in our winter).
New travel rules: Australians to pay $36 fee for EU visits
Australians travelling to Europe from later this year will have to pay $36 for entry under the EU’s new and long-delayed European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
The fee for the digital visa-waiver program was previously to be set at €7 (AU$12.50), but will now launch in the last quarter of 2026 at €20, says the European Commission.
Qatar victims win right to sue airline over invasive internal searches
Australian women subjected to invasive examinations at Hamad International Airport have scored a landmark victory in their Full Federal Court appeal.
Currently holidaying down the Gold Coast at a family resort and the people in the room next to us are full blown bogans.
There kid hit the fire alarm a few nights ago and last night at 9:45 the father was yelling at the kid. this morning I saw the kid this morning and he’s got a mullet to make an 80’s rockstar jealous.
My kids are in bed at 7 and this hogan has no respect for the other guests
Did you mention this to the staff?
Yep. Called reception last night and they spoke to them
This is why I avoid staying at motels on weekends if humanly possible, and take a Bluetooth speaker which I can play white noise through to drown out the background noise. At a minimum you’ve always got the tradies who leave at 0500 and rev the guts out of their vehicles.
Unfortunately most accommodation providers don’t give a toss as long as they’ve paid their dough (and most live off site) so the onus is on you to deal with it, short of anything criminal occurring.
And obviously never pick the cheapest motels; usually the ones off the main road are the ones to go for.
And if you can afford it, go for the better quality ones, probably less likely to attract problematic customers.
Qantas launches international sale: Airline slashes fares to Asia, US, Europe during school holidays
Qantas has dropped prices on 350,000 international seats, with return fares starting from just $499, as Australia’s airline wars continue to ramp up.
In a move set to delight budget-conscious families, the sale – running from July 2025 to May 2026 – includes multiple Australian school holiday periods.
Anyone travelling Aeroflot?
Regional airline Skytrans has a new name: SmartLynx Australia.
SkyLynx would have been a better name.