Page 2884 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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In terms of international visitation during this period, we received nearly 181,000 international visitors, which was up two per cent on the previous year. There were 4.2 million international visitor nights in the ACT. The visitor numbers in the leisure sector were again strong, with holiday visitors up eight per cent, and those visiting friends and relatives up seven per cent. International visitor expenditure in the territory totalled $353 million.
It is important to note that the territory’s domestic and international results for visitors, visitor nights and expenditure in the 2013-14 financial year compare very favourably with results from previous years. Of course the visitor levels in 2012-13 were simply outstanding, with domestic and international figures that were unmatched for a decade. For 2012-13 our growth in domestic overnight and international visitor levels significantly exceeded the national trend. As such, a direct comparison between 2012-13, a magnificent year, and the latest figures does not provide an accurate reflection of our long-term tourism performance.
The 2012-13 figures were heavily influenced, as you would expect, by the centenary. Certainly the centenary year provided proof of the value of investing in events in particular, and major events played a key role in our outstanding visitor numbers and the economic outcomes for the region in those figures. Ongoing investment from the public and private sector is critical to continuing to drive strong visitor figures and to provide new and compelling reasons to visit the territory.
Visit Canberra and the ACT government are actively supporting this effort through our special event fund. Since it opened in 2011 $2.54 million has been allocated to support major events. Seven blockbuster exhibitions have attracted more than 910,000 attendees and delivered $222 million in economic return to the territory. I will repeat that: a $2.54 million investment in our event fund has delivered $222 million in economic return to the territory. The latest blockbuster exhibition to receive funding under this fund is the James Turrell retrospective, which will run for an extended season from December to June 2015.
Pleasingly also, 2015, and particularly the first half, will see Canberra play host to two of the biggest sporting events in the world—the Asian Cup football tournament in January and the Cricket World Cup in February and March. We are hosting seven matches as part of the Asian Cup, including a quarter final, and three Cricket World Cup matches. When you look at the summer of cricket, with the Big Bash final, the one day international between Australia and South Africa and the Prime Minister’s XI, it is the biggest summer of cricket this city has ever seen. It has been made possible by the infrastructure legacy of the centenary year, particularly the lights at Manuka Oval. Once again I will place on record my thanks to former Prime Minister Gillard for her support of that initiative and the funding that the commonwealth government provided in our centenary year for that important infrastructure legacy.
Our involvement in these sorts of global events provides a platform from which to raise the profile of the territory. Our status as a major events destination is enhanced when we successfully host these events, as we did so well in 2013.
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