The State Tourism Satellite Account (STSA) 2020–21 highlights the importance of tourism to each state and territory economy.
COVID-19 caused severe disruptions to tourism in the last quarter of 2019-20 and through all of 2020-21. This 2020-21 edition of the STSA is the first to:
Key data includes:
Sources for the STSA are:
We extend the work of the ABS by:
The detailed statistical tables that accompany this report also include:
Read about the terminology we use and how we apply the data in the Methodology.
A successful tourism industry relies on person-to-person interactions and the freedom to travel. As a result, Australia’s visitor economy in 2020-21 was overly affected by:
These led to a large downturn in tourism demand in 2020-21. This followed a very challenging 2019-20 (Figure 1). Compared with pre-pandemic demand of 2018-19:
As a result of declining demand, tourism consumption in 2020-21:
This was in contrast to average annual growth of 5.7% per year in the 10 years prior to 2019-20.
Table 1 shows falls in consumption across Australia varied:
2020-21 Consumption ($B) | Change from 2019-20 ($B) | Change from 2019-20 | Change from 2018-19 ($B) | Change from 2018-19 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New South Wales | 26.4 | -11.3 | -30% | -20.3 | -43% |
Victoria | 13.8 | -15.9 | -54% | -22.5 | -62% |
Queensland | 21.4 | -7.0 | -25% | -13.3 | -38% |
South Australia | 6.4 | -1.3 | -17% | -2.6 | -29% |
Western Australia | 9.4 | -3.7 | -28% | -5.7 | -38% |
Tasmania | 2.9 | -0.8 | -22% | -1.6 | -36% |
Northern Territory | 1.7 | -0.6 | -26% | -1.5 | -46% |
Australian Capital Territory | 1.6 | -0.7 | -31% | -1.5 | -50% |
Total | 83.4 | -41.3 | -33% | -69.1 | -45% |
Figure 2 compares 2020-21 consumption with 2018-19. It shows:
Direct tourism GSP for all states and territories was $32.4 billion in 2020-21. This was down:
In comparison, GDP for the Australian economy in 2020-21 was:
As a result, tourism’s direct share of the national economy:
This was a 1.5 percentage point decline in tourism’s share of national economic activity between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Table 2 shows large falls in direct tourism GSP across each state and territory in 2020-21. The falls in GSP were even more severe compared with 2018-19 pre-pandemic levels.
Falls in GSP were different across jurisdictions. For example, tourism GSP for SA in 2020-21 was 28% lower than in 2018-19. Prolonged lockdowns and border closures contributed to a 63% fall in GSP for Vic over the same period.
The fall in tourism’s share of state GSP from 2018-19 ranged between 1.1 percentage points (for SA and WA) to 2.2 percentage points (for Tas).
State/territory | 2020-21 GSP ($B) | Change from 2019-20 | Change from 2018-19 | Share of economy in 2020-21 | Share of economy in 2019-20 | Share of economy in 2018-19 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New South Wales | 10.3 | -34% | -44% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 3.0% |
Victoria | 5.4 | -57% | -63% | 1.1% | 2.6% | 3.2% |
Queensland | 8.3 | -28% | -39% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 3.8% |
South Australia | 2.6 | -18% | -28% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 3.2% |
Western Australia | 3.5 | -35% | -41% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% |
Tasmania | 1.1 | -26% | -36% | 3.1% | 4.6% | 5.3% |
Northern Territory | 0.7 | -24% | -43% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 4.4% |
Australian Capital Territory | 0.6 | -36% | -52% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 3.0% |
Total | 32.4 | -37% | -46% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 3.1% |
Indirect tourism GSP for all states and territories was $33.1 billion in 2020-21. Total GSP (direct plus indirect) was $65.5 billion in 2020-21 as a result. This direct and indirect GSP contribution was a 3.2% share of national GDP in 2020-21. This compares with a:
Table 3 presents similar findings to Table 2 in measuring the total GSP impacts. Compared with 2018-19 pre-pandemic levels, Table 3 shows:
State/territory | 2020-21 GSP ($B) | Change from 2019-20 | Change from 2018-19 | Share of economy in 2020-21 | Share of economy in 2019-20 | Share of economy in 2018-19 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New South Wales | 20.8 | -32% | -45% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 6.1% |
Victoria | 10.7 | -55% | -64% | 2.3% | 5.1% | 6.4% |
Queensland | 16.8 | -26% | -40% | 4.6% | 6.3% | 7.7% |
South Australia | 5.2 | -20% | -32% | 4.4% | 5.9% | 7.0% |
Western Australia | 7.2 | -33% | -41% | 2.0% | 3.4% | 4.2% |
Tasmania | 2.3 | -24% | -37% | 6.5% | 9.0% | 11.3% |
Northern Territory | 1.4 | -27% | -47% | 5.5% | 7.1% | 10.3% |
Australian Capital Territory | 1.2 | -34% | -51% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 6.3% |
Total | 65.5 | -35% | -47% | 3.2% | 5.1% | 6.4% |
Tourism employed 682,100 workers in 2020–21. This was made up of the:
Compared with previous years:
All states and territories experienced falls in tourism employment in 2019-20. They also continued to experience falls in employment in 2020-21 (Table 4). Compared with 2018-19 levels:
State/territory | 2020-21 direct employment ('000 workers) | 2020-21 direct and indirect employment ('000 workers) | Change in direct employment from 2018-19 | Change in direct and indirect employment from 2018-19 |
---|---|---|---|---|
New South Wales | 146.8 | 197.0 | -25% | -32% |
Victoria | 109.8 | 120.0 | -40% | -54% |
Queensland | 120.6 | 174.0 | -18% | -24% |
South Australia | 37.3 | 56.5 | -8.8% | -9.3% |
Western Australia | 56.3 | 78.4 | -16% | -21% |
Tasmania | 20.6 | 33.6 | -8.1% | -19% |
Northern Territory | 6.8 | 10.7 | -20% | -29% |
Australian Capital Territory | 8.4 | 11.4 | -25% | -37% |
Total | 507.0 | 682.1 | -25% | -33% |
The declines in tourism employment from 2018-19 occurred while Australia’s national workforce was growing. This reflects a very fluid labour market for Australia’s visitor economy.
Businesses were reducing workforces due to the downturn in demand. Some employees were also leaving tourism to:
If a worker stayed with the same employer, they may not have counted towards Australia’s visitor economy to the same extent as before. This was due to visitors making up a smaller share of customers during the pandemic. For an individual business this meant employees spent less time providing services to visitors.
As a result:
These falls in tourism’s workforce contribution were repeated across all states and territories (Table 5).
State/territory | 2020-21 direct share | 2019-20 direct share | 2018-19 direct share | 2020-21 direct and indirect share (%) | 2019-20 direct and indirect share) | 2018-19 direct and indirect share |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New South Wales | 3.6% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 6.3% | 7.1% |
Victoria | 3.3% | 5.0% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 6.9% | 7.7% |
Queensland | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.9% | 6.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
South Australia | 4.4% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 6.6% | 6.8% | 7.3% |
Western Australia | 4.1% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.7% | 7.0% | 7.3% |
Tasmania | 8.0% | 8.5% | 9.0% | 13.0% | 14.5% | 16.7% |
Northern Territory | 5.2% | 5.7% | 6.4% | 8.2% | 9.3% | 11.4% |
Australian Capital Territory | 3.5% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 6.2% | 8.0% |
Total | 3.9% | 5.0% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 7.1% | 8.0% |
Gross State Product (GSP)
$1.2 billion
Down 34% compared with 2019–20
Down 51% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$1.1 billion
Down 35% compared with 2019–20
Down 52% compared with 2018–19
Employment
11,400 persons
Down 21% compared with 2019–20
Down 37% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in the ACT:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in the ACT, an extra 79 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$20.8 billion
Down 32% compared with 2019–20
Down 45% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$18.1 billion
Down 34% compared with 2019–20
Down 46% compared with 2018–19
Employment
197,000 persons
Down 23% compared with 2019–20
Down 32% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in NSW:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in NSW, an extra 82 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$1.4 billion
Down 27% compared with 2019–20
Down 47% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$1.2 billion
Down 26% compared with 2019–20
Down 46% compared with 2018–19
Employment
10,700 persons
Down 13% compared with 2019–20
Down 29% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in the NT:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in NT, an extra 82 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$16.8 billion
Down 26% compared with 2019–20
Down 40% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$14.7 billion
Down 28% compared with 2019–20
Down 41% compared with 2018–19
Employment
174,000 persons
Down 15% compared with 2019–20
Down 24% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in Qld:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in Qld, an extra 84 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$5.2 billion
Down 20% compared with 2019–20
Down 32% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$4.4 billion
Down 20% compared with 2019–20
Down 31% compared with 2018–19
Employment
56,500
Down 4.2% compared with 2019–20
Down 9.3% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in SA:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in SA, an extra 80 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$2.3 billion
Down 24% compared with 2019–20
Down 37% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$2.0 billion
Down 25% compared with 2019–20
Down 38% compared with 2018–19
Employment
33,600
Down 7.7% compared with 2019–20
Down 19% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in Tas:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in Tas, an extra 84 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$10.6 billion
Down 55% compared with 2019–20
Down 64% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$9.4 billion
Down 57% compared with 2019–20
Down 65% compared with 2018–19
Employment
120,000
Down 48% compared with 2019–20
Down 54% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in Vic:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in Vic, an extra 79 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Gross State Product (GSP)
$7.2 billion
Down 33% compared with 2019–20
Down 41% compared with 2018–19
Gross Value Added (GVA)
$6.3 billion
Down 34% compared with 2019–20
Down 42% compared with 2018–19
Employment
78,400
Down 17% compared with 2019–20
Down 21% compared with 2018–19
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
In 2020–21:
Direct contribution is money spent directly in the tourism industry. Without a tourism industry in WA:
Indirect contribution is the flow-on effect of the tourism industry. For every dollar spent in the tourism industry in WA, an extra 79 cents were spent elsewhere in the economy.
GVA allows easier comparisons across industries. GVA is equal to GSP minus taxes.
Find out more about tourism consumption, employment and economic activity in our data tables.
Revisions to the ABS national accounts data have affected the STSA. These data are revised annually by the ABS to reflect changes in the economy. This is in line with international best practice.
ABS has started updating input-output relationships based on the latest available supply-use tables. In this case this refers to 2018–19. This means that in this edition of the STSA the input-output tables (I-O tables) used in generating indirect contribution of tourism resulting from Output and employment multipliers have also been revised using 2018–19 I-O tables. This has resulted in a revision of results for the whole time-series. This means data from previous editions is not directly comparable to this STSA.
Regional expenditure data revisions have also affected this STSA. These data are sourced from the:
The STSA 2020-21 publication presents a complete set of data on the direct and indirect economic contribution of tourism for all states and territories. It builds on the ABS National TSA.
The report highlights changes in 2020–21, in nominal terms. It also examines longer term patterns in tourism’s contribution to:
The ABS System of National Accounts (SNA) doesn’t capture tourism as a single industry. This is due to the sector’s diverse products and services. The National TSA bridges this gap by:
You can then compare between:
You can also compare tourism sectors across different countries.
Check the Australian National Accounts: Tourism Satellite Account methodology on the ABS website for more information on the National TSA.
The approach in this STSA is to derive the direct contribution of tourism. It is similar to the approach developed by Pham et al. (2009). Tourism spend data and state/territory industry input-output (I-O) data are combined with the National TSA benchmark. This is to capture the:
The main sources for the data and methodology are:
We also measure indirect effects of tourism demand on businesses that provide goods and services to the tourism industry. For example, the indirect tourism demand generated from supplying a meal to a visitor. This starts with production of what the restaurant needs to make the meal. This might include fresh produce and electricity for cooking.
This approach complements the direct effects presented through the TSA framework. It gives a clearer picture of the total contribution of tourism to the economy. However, they have been calculated using I-O analysis methods. This is because the TSA framework doesn’t measure these indirect effects at state and territory level.
The I-O analysis methods give a breakdown of the supply and demand of commodities in the Australian economy.
We use multipliers for standard industries in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industry Classification (ANZSIC) as the basis for calculating tourism’s indirect effects. This is because the tourism sector doesn’t represent a single industry in the economy.