Gap Year News Articles

Increase in Australian working holiday applications expected

5th Aug 2010

The Australian Tourism Export Council expects the number of gap year travellers taking a working holiday to Australia to increase later this year.

Many travellers were put off a working holiday in Australia last year as the global econimic crisis had caused the number of jobs available to backpackers to dwindle.

The chief executive of the Australian Tourism Export Council, Matt Hingerty, said he is "cautiously optimistic" that backpacker numbers will pick up later in the year particularly as the mining industry could be again facing a skills shortage. As a result, many young Australians are leaving their current jobs for a high-paying role in the mining industry. This means that there are many seasonal jobs available for gap year travellers in the hospitality and farming industries.