Minister Barr: CBR continues to attract record tourist numbers
- Written by ACT Government
Released 15/06/2016
More Australians than ever before are visiting the national capital with Canberra smashing the record for domestic visitor numbers for the year ending March 2016.
According to the latest Tourism Research Australia National Visitor Survey released this morning, the ACT welcomed 2.3 million domestic visitors. This represents the highest-ever annual visitation figure for the ACT and the second highest growth nationally.
This is fantastic news for Canberra – particularly when combined with the record number of international visitors released by Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey earlier this month. Today’s figures hold us in good stead for the launch of direct international flights from Canberra to Singapore and Wellington, which will commence in less than 100 days.
The ACT’s visitation numbers, and importantly expenditure, have also increased above national averages. Visitors to the capital stayed for a total of 6.2 million nights and contributed $1.3 billion to the local economy. The ACT recorded the joint-highest expenditure growth of all states and territories at 14.2 per cent, well above the national average of 4.7 per cent.
My government is working with the ACT tourism industry to attract more visitors through VisitCanberra’s One Good Thing After Another marketing positioning, with a goal of growing the ACT’s overnight visitor expenditure to $2.5 billion by 2020.
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
