Aussies travellers exploring south-east Asia kept consular officials busy with mishaps in 2022-23. Relatively quick flights, cheap travel and plenty of beaches are a drawcard for Aussie travellers but Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were also the top locations for consular cases. Indonesia topped the list for sick or hospitalised Australians with 132 cases, while the most welfare assistance requests, 215, came from travellers in the Philippines. Those three countries were also where the most Australians died, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade called in to support the loved ones of 659 people who lost their lives. It came as overseas travel continued a return towards pre-pandemic levels. A record 3.1 Australian passports were issued in 2022-23, while more than 3500 people had every traveller's nightmare come true and lost or had their documentation stolen. The most passport mishaps were reported in the US with 452 cases and Italy with 387, followed by the UK, France and Spain. On average DFAT's 24-hour consular emergency centre answered one call for help every 11 minutes in 2022-23. Excluding crisis cases, such as the Ukraine and Sudan conflicts, consular cases rose 17 per cent compared to 2021-22. Travellers to Brazil reportedly had the most things nicked with nearly 50 theft cases, followed by Italy with 41. The US and China put the most Aussies behind bars in 2022-23, followed by south-east Asian countries, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The data was revealed in DFAT's consular state of play report released on November 30.
