There were 67,300 short-term travel movements to the Philippines by Australian residents in the four months to April 30, up 11.6% from a year earlier. The data compiled by Statistics Australia and reviewed by GGRAsia.

A recent article in an Australian newspaper suggested that additional tourists could help a new generation of casino resorts being built in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

According to a study independently collected and published in late May by Monash University in Victoria, Australia, the average amount that Australian gamblers spend domestically is up to three times higher than what domestic gamblers spend in Canada or the United Kingdom. Australian gambling spending includes betting on poker machines at local courts and betting on sports betting, as well as casino betting.

A report by consumer research firm Euromonitor International in September last year said outbound tourism among Australians had recovered strongly since 2012 following a decline related to the 2008 international crisis. It suggested the reason was "a combination of the high exchange value of the Australian dollar, the rapid expansion of low-cost airlines, and the strong growth of elderly Australian couples whose adult children have fled their homes."

But in April this year, the Australian dollar weakened against the U.S. dollar from a four-month high on concerns about the Chinese economy, a major positive in Australia's commodity-led export boom.

And there will be a link between Australians" domestic gambling spending and the prospect of a Manila casino if more Australians visit the Philippines, Don Dioco, director of the IFT Tourism Research Center at Macau Tourism Research, told GGRAsia

"I wouldn't bet too much on that domestic gambling figure for Australians," said the Filipino.

"After considering the length of stay and stay, which is a function of international airfare and destination distance, things will be different for high rollers, but there will be little room left for public market travellers to gamble."

Low-cost regional airline Cebu Pacific Air said last week it would launch four direct flights in September from Sydney to Manila in Australia.

"The success of this project means bringing even more tourists to our country," Philippine President Benigno Aquino said in a speech at the opening of the $1.2 billion Soler Resort & Casino in Manila in March last year.

The Philippine government says Solaire and other gaming resorts under construction in Entertainment City are key drivers of income from such foreign tourism and inbound tourism spending.

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