International visitors are travelling to Victoria in their droves, spending more money and staying longer, according to the latest International Visitor Survey.
Victoria welcomed 2.7 million international visitors who spent $7.3 billion in the 12 months to March, with some of the strongest growth in visitors occurring in our regions.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren said the results were a vote of confidence in regional communities, with growth rates well above the national average for visitation, spend and nights.
Spending by tourists in regional Victoria is up by 28.2 per cent compared to the national average growth of 4.7 per cent.
Holidaymakers also chose to spend more time enjoying the best of regional Victoria, with the number of nights booked growing by 20.1 per cent – outshining the national average regional growth of 1.7 per cent.
Most of our regional tourism hotspots welcomed more overnight visitors than the year before, with growth recorded in Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges (+44.6%), Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges (+18.6%), Great Ocean Road (+16.0%), Victoria’s High Country (+14.9%) and the Murray (+13.1%).
Chinese visitors continue to lead the charge to Victoria with 570,500 visitors in the past year – up 7.3 per cent.
These great results for regional Victoria prove that the Andrews Labor Government’s strategy to increase visitor spending, boost local economies and create more jobs is working.
At home, our Wander Victoria campaign is continuing to promote our regions to Melburnians and intrastate travellers.
Melbourne also recorded growth in international visitation, with expenditure up 6.5 per cent to $6.8 billion in the same period.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren
“Many regions rely on the money and time tourists spend in their communities, which is why we’re working to attract even more visitors by supporting local businesses and creating jobs.”
“We really do have the best of everything in Victoria – and these results prove it. It’s great to see more tourists getting a taste of what we have to offer.”
Quote attributable to Chief Executive of Visit Victoria Peter Bingeman
“Every time a visitor stays one more night, enjoys one more dining experience or orders one more cup of coffee, that means more jobs and more investment in the Visitor Economy. Victorians should be proud of what they offer to local and overseas visitors.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020