(Sydney, Australia) Australia has seen a 50-percent increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases over the past eight years, a government report said Wednesday. It points the finger in large part to Australian gays bringing the virus home with them after vacationing in Asia.

The center said that men who have sex with men account for the majority of the new cases, but the incidence among heterosexual men also is rising.

The report noted that Australians are among the biggest travelers in the world and that gay men regularly holiday in areas with high HIV rates, such as Thailand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

The report also said that heterosexual businessmen working abroad also are bringing back the virus – mainly miners who are sought after by developing Asian countries.

HIV/AIDS workers in Australia say that travelers frequently forget about safe-sex while they are out of the country.

But the report also was critical of the government, noting that Australia was once among the world’s leaders in HIV/AIDS education but cutbacks in funding has crippled advertising.