Canberra Centenary. Photo: Daniel Cummins
Canberra’s “very big year” has delivered the capital a more than 5 per cent increase in domestic overnight visitors, offsetting a decrease in business travel associated with the federal election.
ACT Treasurer and Tourism Minister Andrew Barr said on Tuesday the Centenary of Canberra celebrations saw a 5.1 per cent increase in overnight visitation, well exceeding a national increase of 1.8 per cent for 2013.
The figures provided by Tourism Research Australia’s annual National Visitor Survey show the increase was primarily driven by the leisure sector.
Andrew Barr. Photo: Jeffrey Chan
A total of 2,055,000 domestic overnight visitors came to the ACT last year with domestic overnight holiday visitor rates rising by 39 per cent on the previous year.
The visiting friends and relatives sector remained the strongest tourism category in the ACT in 2013, contributing to 34 per cent of the visitor’s market, followed by the holiday sector with 31 per cent.
The business sector was responsible for 28 per cent of travel to the ACT, down on previous years due to the September federal election and fewer sittings of Parliament.
Mr Barr said visitors to Canberra contributed an estimated $1.2 billion to the ACT economy last year – an increase of $131 million on 2012 results.
Events including Canberra’s first ever cricket one day international, the National Gallery’s Turner from the Tate exhibition, the British and Irish Lions tour and the National Library’s successful Mapping Our World exhibition all drove tourism visitor numbers.
On Tuesday The Canberra Times reported that 118,264 people visited the National Library for the exhibition, making it the institution’s most success show ever.
More to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment