People travel for business and for pleasure Most of Australia's visitors come from Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States Australians lie to visit Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, !e" #ealand and Asia Introduction $ravel plays a ma%or role in Australia's global connections "ith other places& People "ho travel for a holiday are usually called tourists& $he business of travel is no"n as tourism& People travel to other countries for many different reasons& 't may be for a holiday to the sno" or a tropical island, to e(perience an e(citing part of the "orld, to participate in a sporting event, or to visit relatives overseas& Many people also travel to other countries for business reasons&
Travelling for pleasure Many people from overseas come to Australia to e(perience our beautiful beaches, see our uni)ue animals, and of course, meet the friendly locals& Each year, thousands of Australians travel overseas and hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Australia& Most of our visitors come from Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States& Australia is )uite a long "ay to travel from most other countries, so "hat maes Australia one of the most popular tourist destinations in the "orld* +hy do so many millions of overseas tourists decide to visit us each year* People generally lie a change of scenery if they are going on a holiday& $his means that if they live in a large city surrounded by buildings, it is liely that they "ill "ant to get outside into the fresh air and en%oy the beach or the countryside& Australia has plenty of both and is a great destination for people looing to un"ind& Many people "ho live on the other side of the "orld ,in the northern hemisphere- lie to get a"ay from their cold "inters and come to Australia for some "armth and sunshine&
$he most popular Australian city to visit is Sydney& $he most popular activities include shopping, going to the beach and visiting marets& $ourism plays a huge part in Australia's economy, as it maes an important contribution to Australia's e(port earnings& 'n .//01/2, international visitors spent 345&0 billion on Australian goods and services& $his represented 4.6 of the total e(ports of goods and services& $he tourism industry also creates employment for over half a million Australians& 7or more details on the tourism industry, refer to our chapter on $ravel and 8ospitality& Australia's World Heritage properties Australia is a very attractive place to visit 1 %ust loo at ho" many Australian properties there are on the +orld 8eritage 9ist 1 4: to be e(act; $he +orld 8eritage 9ist is a list of special places that need to be looed after for future generations& $he follo"ing is a list of precious Australian sites< 4& The Great Barrier Reef in =ueensland is the largest +orld 8eritage Area& $here are thought to be as many as 4>// species of fish and more than 0// species of coral& .& Kakadu ational !ark in the !orthern $erritory contains features of living Aboriginal culture dating bac tens of thousands of years as "ell as ama?ing landscapes& 0& The Willandra "akes Region in !e" South +ales has e(amples of past human civili?ation, including the "orld's oldest cremation site& 2& The Tasmanian Wilderness is one of only three large, temperate "ilderness areas remaining in the southern hemisphere >& The "ord Ho#e Island Group is made up of 9ord 8o"e 'sland, Admiralty 'slands, Mutton @ird 'slands, @all's Pyramid and all the coral reefs and marine environments in bet"een& :& $luru%Kata T&uta ational !ark, other"ise no"n as Kaadu, "as put on the +orld 8eritage 9ist for its outstanding universal cultural values and because it is so close to the centre of the traditional lands of Aboriginal people& 5& 'entral (astern Rainforest Reserves in !S+ "ere put on the list in 4AB: for their outstanding natural values& B& The Wet Tropics of =ueensland lie bet"een $o"nsville and Cooto"n on the north1east coast of =ueensland& $his area is spectacular "ith fast flo"ing rivers, deep gorges and many "aterfalls& A& Shar @ay is on the most "estern point of the coast of Australia& 4/& )raser Island is the largest sand island in the "orld& 't is located along the southern coast of =ueensland& 44& The Australian )ossil *ammal +ites have e(tensive fossil deposits spanning at least ./ million years of mammal evolution& 4.& Heard Island and *c,onald Islands have the only active volcanoes on subantarctic islands& $he populations of plants and animals are unaffected by the negative impacts of human activities or introduced species 40& *ac-uarie Island is situated about 4>//m south south1east of $asmania, half"ay bet"een Australia and Antarctica& 't is the only island in the "orld made up entirely of oceanic crust and rocs from the Earth's mantle& 42& The Greater Blue *ountains Area made it to the +orld 8eritage 9ist in December .///& 't is an area of breathtaing vie"s, rugged tablelands and inaccessible valleys& 4>& !urnululu ational !ark, home of the @ungle @ungles in the East Kimberley Eegion in +estern Australia is one of Australia's most recent listings& 4:& The Ro.al (/hi0ition Building in Melbourne and the surrounding 'arlton Gardens in Melbourne achieved +orld 8eritage 9isting in .//2 for their cultural value& 45& +.dne. 1pera House "as added to the +orld 8eritage 9isting in .//5 due to its impressive architecture and its iconic status& Australians also love to travel to many places around the globe& $he most popular destinations are Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia, !e" #ealand and the United States& Many people living in Australia lie to get a"ay during summer and go sno"boarding or siing overseas& Some of the most popular "inter destinations for Australians are Europe and the United States& Australians also lie to travel to nearby countries and spend some time surfing, s"imming or %ust rela(ing in the sun& Some of the more popular destinations closer to Australia include 7i%i, @ali, !e" #ealand and 8ong Kong& Business travel and glo0all.%connected &o0s Many people travel for business or "or1related reasons& $his might involve "oring on an aircraft or a ship that is heading to another country& $he pilots, the ste"ards, the dechands, the coos 1 all these people are needed to help an aircraft or ship function smoothly& $hese people are "oring as they travel& $hese are e(amples of globally1connected %obs& Some people have business meetings or trade fairs to attend overseas& $hey may need to tae product samples to a business client overseas or attend a meeting "ith foreign partners& $he reasons for global travel are "ide and varied& Flobal travel is a very important part of Australia's global connections& 'n a matter of hours, "e can be in another country, e(periencing another culture and trying to communicate in a different language& 9ife "as very different before international travel&