A record 20.27 million passengers passed through Australia's biggest airport, Sydney Airport, in the first six months of 2016.
Traveller numbers were up 6.7 per cent from 18.99 million in the first half of 2015, with visitors from Korea, China and the US leading the charge through the arrival gates in 2016.
Passengers from Korea were up 21 per cent in the first half of 2016, visitors from China rose 20 per cent and there was a 16 per cent increase in travellers from the US.
Sydney Airport's total international passenger numbers were up 9.3 per cent to 7.22 million in the first half of 2016, and domestic passengers rose 5.3 per cent to 13.05 million.
Chief executive Kerrie Mather said the passenger numbers were "exceptional".
The first half of year included Sydney's Vivid festival, which in 2016 attracted more than 2.3 million people, up 35 per cent on 2015, NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said.
