Surprising state becoming popular spot for international tourists with record visitor numbers in January

One Aussie state’s major airport welcomed more than three million passengers in January, shattering the previous record by more than 70,000.

Melbourne was the place to be in January, with more than three million passengers welcomed through airport terminals, according to new figures.

Government data, which was released on Monday, shows January visitor totals shattered the previous record from December 2019 by more than 70,000 passengers, making it the busiest month in Melbourne Airport’s history.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos announced the milestone on Monday, saying it was “great news” for the whole state.

“The Australian Open, the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the NFL – these events are only here in Victoria and they bring people from all around the globe,” he said.

“These record number of travellers are filling our hotels and restaurants, supporting tourism operators across the state, and backing local businesses and jobs.”

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said Melbourne Airport’s record-breaking arrivals in January was “great news” for the state’s tourism operators. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

More than 600,000 people arrived in Melbourne on international flights in January.

A new single day record was also set on January 24, as more than 23,000 international visitors flooded arrival gates during the Australian Open and Victoria’s Lunar New Year.

Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said it was “incredible” to set new records and rebuild international capacity from “close to nothing” in just three years.

“Since the Australian border reopened in 2021, we’ve been working closely with the Victorian government to rebuild international airline capacity into Melbourne, and we’re now seeing the benefits,” she said.

Earlier this month the Labor Government secured a deal with Melbourne Airport for Delta Airlines to deliver three new direct flights per week from Los Angeles to Melbourne from December this year.

More than 600,000 people arrived in Melbourne on international flights in January. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

The flights aim to bring in more adventure-seeking tourists from the USA and Canada, with American “leisure travellers” spending $239 million in Victoria in the last year.

The state government said overseas travellers had continued to flock to Victoria, with the latest data showing tourism spend had hit a record high of $39.7 billion.

Visit Victoria chief executive Brendan McClements commended the state’s unique offerings.

“Victoria is Australia’s cultural, culinary and sporting capital, and we’re seeing that reflected in these record numbers as more people visit to see what makes our state ‘every bit different’,” he said.