The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) has congratulated the state’s tourism and events industry for the significant growth in domestic visitor numbers and expenditure over the past year.
New figures from Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey have revealed both Melbourne and regional Victoria are major drawcards for domestic visitors.
"It’s positive to see such strong tourism growth across Victoria, with 24 million domestic visitors contributing more than $14 billion to the state economy in the past year.
"An 8 per cent increase in visitation across Victoria is an excellent result that is higher than the national average, with visitors spending over 27 million nights in Melbourne alone.
"Tourism is a major driver of economic activity across Victoria and these new figures demonstrate the boost we provide to local businesses and the state economy," said Ms Mariani.
Ms Mariani said continued investment is needed to ensure regional Victoria records a greater share of visitation and expenditure.
"It’s encouraging that expenditure across regional Victoria grew by 11.6% to $6.1 billion – a very strong outcome that is testament to our regional attractions," said Ms Mariani.
Visitor numbers and overnight stays in regional Victoria have also increased, but the proportion compared to Melbourne remains modest. VTIC’s Tourism is Victoria’s Business campaign has placed a very clear and strong emphasis on the need to invest in world-class tourism infrastructure in regional Victoria to deliver an uplift in visitor numbers and expenditure. This includes funding for a new dedicated Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the delivery of key projects in the regions.
It’s important the Victorian government continues to invest in growing our sector, ensuring Victoria remains Australia’s destination of choice for both domestic and overseas investment.
"Without continued action and investment, Victoria risks losing ground and missing the opportunity to capitalise on an industry that is forecast to grow to $151 billion across Australia by 2026," said Ms Mariani.
To find out more about VTIC’s Tourism is Victoria’s Business campaign, visit www.tourismisvictoriasbusiness.com.au
