Victoria's visitor economy is at a record high, backed by Labor's blockbuster major events calendar.
Visitor spending increased by 6.6 per cent in the 12 months since June, climbing to $49.5 billion.
China made the largest contribution to the growth, contributing $3.6 billion in visitor expenditure.
That's a 20 per cent year-on-year increase thanks to an 11.4 per cent rise in visitation.
Visitors from the United Kingdom also increased by 21.4 per cent, with spending increasing by 42.6 per cent.
Major draw-card events like the British & Irish Lions Tour and the Boxing Day Ashes Test helped fuel the growth.
Victorians spent $9 billion on trips in our regions, and Melbourne is topping Australia as a destination for interstate tourists with over 3.5 million trips and $4.5 billion in spending.
Just last week Melbourne Airport welcomed 243,000 passengers in two days, with 52 additional return flights from Perth compared to the same week last year as fans flocked to Victoria for the AFL Grand Final.
These results are from Tourism Research Australia's Domestic Tourism Statistics and International Visitor Survey.
They follow the success of the MCG clash between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers this month.
The game averaged 21.7 million viewers on Netflix globally, ranking among the top three most-streamed Thursday prime-time NFL games.
Melbourne is now the first city in the world to host an NFL regular-season game, a Formula One Grand Prix and a tennis Grand Slam - another global first for Australia's sporting capital.
Victoria's major events calendar generated $3.64 billion in economic impact in 2025 and attracted close to 8 million attendances, supporting almost 17,000 jobs across the sector and broader visitor economy.
Only Labor is delivering a packed major events calendar that brings huge benefits to our economy.
Future visitor growth is at risk from Jess Wilson's $40 billion worth of cuts to Victoria.
As stated by Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Natalie Suleyman
"Victoria's visitor economy reaching a record $49.5 billion doesn't happen by chance - it's the result of years of investment and planning to bring more visitors to our state."
"From major events to regional tourism, Labor is backing the visitor economy right across Victoria."
As stated by Minister for Major Events Anthony Carbines
"This is more proof that Labor's packed major events calendar is delivering a huge boost to Victoria's economy."
As stated by Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements
"Achieving this new record is a fantastic outcome which shows that targeted global campaigns are successfully converting interest into visitor spending, delivering real economic benefits right across Victoria."
