Domestic visitors stay longer and spend more in Victoria

Boosted by successful interstate and intrastate marketing campaigns, along with an array of successful events, Victoria’s visitor economy has continued to grow according to the latest National Visitor Survey results.

in the year ending June 2018, domestic overnight expenditure grew by 8%, higher than the national average, to reach $14.0 billion, with Victoria welcomed 24.7 million domestic visitors in that same period.

Domestic visitors spent 71.6 million nights in Victoria, an increase of 7.7% year-on-year.

Visitor growth in Victoria was driven by a double-digit increase in the number of interstate visitors (+10.4% to 7.9 million) and moderate growth from the intrastate visitor segment (+4.6% to 16.8 million).

Regional Victoria recorded a double-digit increase in spend (+11.6% to $6.1 billion), above the national growth rate. This spend growth was driven by strong performance from the interstate market (+20.9% to $1.5 billion).

Double-digit growth in visitor expenditure was recorded in Victoria’s High Country (+36.5%), Grampians (+25.6%), Mornington Peninsula (+25.2%), Murray (+14.7%) and Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges (+14.1%).

Visit Victoria is working to grow tourism in Victoria’s regions and recently launched a new regional marketing campaign aimed at encouraging Melburnians to venture to Victoria’s regions.

The Your Happy Space campaign profiles regional Victoria’s diverse experiences and world-class food, art, music, nature and cultural offerings.

Visit Victoria's current interstate destination marketing campaign, A Twist at Every Turn, is designed to encourage interstate and New Zealand visitors to travel to Melbourne and experience its many layers.

Advising that the growth in domestic visitation is strongly supported by Visit Victoria’s active focus on increasing regional visitation through events and marketing, Visit Victoria Chief Executive  

Peter Bingeman advised “we’re proudly working alongside industry to continue driving jobs and economic growth, which is good news for Melbourne, and vital to securing the future of Victoria’s regions.

 “Victoria is the home of events in Australia and domestic visitors know it. Not only are we attracting the biggest and best major events we’re also funding more than 180 events in regional Victoria through the Regional Events Fund.”

For more information about the National Visitor Survey go to www.business.vic.gov.au/tourism-industry-resources.

Images from the A Twist at Every Turn campaign.