The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released its Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures for January 2016.
The overall trend estimate of short-term arrivals showed an increase of 0.9% compared with December 2015 and of 11.2% on January 2015.
Arguably the more interesting insight from the release however was a leading source of this growth, namely an increase in tourists from China.
The China arrival trend data shows year-on-year growth of 35.1% with 102,700 visitors arriving from China in January 2016.
This strong growth figure reinforces the thinking of some investors who have looked to play the thematic of a weakening Australian dollar by focussing on ASX shares that will benefit from increased domestic tourism.
Here are four worth keeping an eye on to continue benefiting from this favourable thematic…
- Sydney Airport Holdings Ltd (ASX: SYD) – Sydney is still the primary destination for incoming tourists and that certainly helps Sydney Airport attract a growing number of flights and passengers.
- Sealink Travel Group Ltd (ASX: SLK) – With numerous boats and ferries on Sydney Harbour including Captain Cook Cruises, Sealink is well placed to benefit from higher numbers of tourists to Sydney. The group also operates services in other strategic tourism locations including Kangaroo Island and more recently Perth.
- Village Roadshow Ltd (ASX: VRL) – With five theme parks on the Gold Coast and Wet 'n' Wild in Sydney, Village Roadshow's assets are an appealing destination for many tourists.
- Mantra Group Ltd (ASX: MTR) – As the second largest accommodation provider in Australia with both CBD and leisure destinations on offer, Mantra is well positioned to attract a significant proportion of inbound tourists.
