The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, today launched the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report (VPS).
Tourism contributes almost $700 million to the ACT economy and employs nearly 13,000 people directly and indirectly. In 2009, there were 1.7 million domestic overnight and 1.1 million domestic day visitors to the ACT.
The VPS report produced by Tourism Research Australia, shows that national cultural attractions such as galleries and museums were a major factor in attracting visitors to the region. National Visitor Survey data suggests that about 39% of domestic overnight and 19% of domestic day visitors undertook cultural activities while visiting the ACT. Nationally, the figures are much lower (14% and 7% respectively) indicating the importance of cultural tourism to the ACT.
The VPS report showed that on average, over 90 per cent of leisure visitors were satisfied with their experience of historical, art and cultural attractions, with 67 per cent very satisfied, exceeding the Australia-wide VPS benchmark by 18 percentage points.
Minister Ferguson said: "These attractions are a major drawcard for the ACT, as shown by the recent 'Masterpieces from Paris' exhibition, which attracted half a million visitors to the region. Through its ongoing funding commitments to the national institutions, the Australian Government is a strong supporter of tourism in the region.
Overall, leisure visitors to the ACT in winter reported above average satisfaction of 56 per cent, against an Australia-wide VPS benchmark of 51 per cent. This rate was slightly less in Spring with 50 per cent of visitors reporting as very satisfied.
Minister Ferguson said, "The strong performance of cultural attractions provides the opportunity to promote the many tourism experiences in Canberra including the variety of cafes and restaurants, the casino, theatres, clubs, wineries parks and gardens, festivals and events. We need to unlock the hidden secrets of Canberra so visitors stay longer and become ambassadors for the city.
The Australian Government has committed to providing the Australian tourism industry with world-leading market intelligence as part of our National Long-Term Tourism strategy.
Minister Ferguson said: "The ACT Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report will give local tourism operators valuable insights into market trends, consumer profiles and performance against national benchmarks and give industry the confidence to plan and grow."
To date, around 65 VPS projects have been completed in Australian regional tourism destinations. Data has been collated to assess individual destinations against national benchmarks for visitor satisfaction.
The ACT VPS can be accessed at www.ret.gov.au/tra.