Australians are visiting Canberra more than ever before. More than five million people visited in the year ending September 2023.
International visitor numbers are, however, still recovering from covid border closures and changes to international aviation routes.
Through targeted investments funded in the Budget Review we will work to improve international visitor numbers, particularly from major markets such as North America, China and India.
With Fiji Airways now offering great connections to Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles we are already seeing strong results in the American market, and there this investment will support further growth.
India is Canberra's fasted growing international market, and with Australia once again receiving Approved Destination Status we look forward to welcoming back Chinese numbers at and above pre-COVID levels.
ACT Government investment through Visit Canberra will focus on in-market events, travel trade engagement, marketing partnerships in these key international markets and will mostly be delivered in partnership with Tourism Australia.
We will also continue to enhance and develop our city's existing major events to grow the visitor economy even further.
Major events like Floriade are drawcards to our city. In 2023, Floriade attracted around 435,000 attendees and generated $38 million in economic activity for the Territory.
The Budget Review provides funding for the additional transport options that were delivered for Floriade 2023, ensuring the event remained accessible while construction projects take place in the City Centre.
We have also appointed a new Creative Director for Enlighten Festival in 2025, to help elevate the overall attendee experience, and drive greater economic and social benefits from the event.
Quotes attributable to ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr:
"Through the Budget Review we will continue our investment in attracting more visitors to Canberra.
"We are on track to exceed the target set in the T2030 Tourism Strategy for our visitor economy to reach $4 billion by the end of the decade, but we need to do more, particularly to increase our international visitor numbers.
"We will also continue to invest in the evolution of our beloved major events, Floriade and the Enlighten Festival.
"A new Creative Director for Enlighten next year will help take this event to new heights and help it to grow into a more iconic festival for our city."
