Birdwatching is emerging as a major draw for Australia’s tourism industry, attracting keen-eyed twitchers and nature enthusiasts who are contributing billions to the sector. With demand growing, many operators are looking to capitalise on the industry’s soaring potential.
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00:00From the vibrant rainbow lorikeet to the tiny fairy wren, Australia's birdlife isn't just
00:10beautiful, it's lucrative too.
00:14With more than 850 species, experts say the country has become known as the holy grail
00:19of birdwatching and that sparked a tourism boom.
00:23Almost half of those birds are found nowhere else in the world, they're endemic to Australia.
00:29A lot of people that really love birds really want to come to Australia and see as many
00:34of those endemic species as they can.
00:38And the data proves it.
00:40Tourism Research Australia figures show international visitors spent nearly $2.6 billion on travel
00:46that involved birdwatching in the year to June 2024.
00:50Conservation scientist Dr Rachelle Stephen says even our most common species provide
00:56big thrills for visitors.
00:59I've seen international tourists standing on the Cairns Esplanade looking at a rainbow
01:04lorikeet like it could have been a tiger or an orangutan thinking it is the most beautiful
01:09thing they have ever seen in the world.
01:13Australian birdwatchers are also crossing the country to tick birds off their lists.
01:18We call travelling to see a bird in a short space of time a twitch.
01:23In Australia that can be a pretty costly exercise because if you're a birdwatcher in Melbourne
01:28for example and a bird turns up from Asia in Broome, you've got to fly across the continent.
01:33We're going to go a little bit west because it is showery.
01:38David Mead has run his birdwatching business for more than a decade.
01:42His tours are often booked out a year in advance.
01:45Probably 30-40% overseas clients these days and being in the north we have a lot of interstate
01:52the rest of people coming up in the dry, in the wet, older people, retirees, people that
01:57love travel, love the wildlife.
02:02Today he's guiding a small group of birdwatchers through the far north Queensland rainforest.
02:09Ben Adler and Steven Djordjevic have flown in from Sydney and Melbourne to photograph
02:14the wildlife.
02:15Look at this bird, look.
02:17What's not to like?
02:18You're outside, you get exercise and the joy of just seeing wonderful birds and photographing
02:24them for the first time.
02:25There's no better way of engaging with nature than by spending time to observe the wonderful
02:32diversity of birds in Australia.
02:34This isn't just about the birds, it's about the camaraderie and discovery.
02:38Every flutter in the trees, every little noise could lead to that exciting new discovery.
02:43That is something else that naughty, eh?
02:46But despite the obvious economic benefits, there are concerns the sector remains undervalued.
02:51We have only just begun to scratch the surface on our understanding of what birdwatching
02:57means to the Australian economy.
02:59Just up on the right there.
03:01A glimpse of nature's finest, putting Australia on the map.