Australia’s ports and airports must be getting busy if the chart below is anything to go by.

Using data from the ABS, it shows the number of short-term international and resident visitor arrivals on a rolling annual basis.

In trends terms, 8.9 million international visitor arrivals were recorded in the year to January, up 7% from a year earlier.

Australians, in comparison, took 1.0585 million trips abroad over the same period, up a smaller 6% from the same period in 2017.

The gap between the two stood at 1.684 million in the 12 months to January, roughly unchanged from the levels one year ago.

While factors such as currency movements and differing economic conditions contribute changes in the level of arrivals and departures, the growing popularity of cruising in Australia may explain the differential between the international and resident arrivals in recent years.

Want to read a more in-depth view on the trends influencing Australian business and the global economy? BI / Research is designed to help executives and industry leaders understand the major challenges and opportunities for industry, technology, strategy and the economy in the future. Sign up for free at research.businessinsider.com.au.