The ACT’s tourism industry is forecast to welcome an extra five hundred thousand domestic and international visitor nights a year by the end of the decade.
The Tourism Forecasting Committee says the number of visitor nights in the ACT is forecast to be 9.3 million by 2020, up from 8.8 million in 2010. That’s an average annual rise of 0.6 per cent; a fair result given the ACT hosted the very successful Masterpieces of Paris exhibition in 2010.
The average rise across Australia between 2010 and 2020 is forecast to be 1.7 per cent a year.
The number of business-related visitor nights in the ACT is forecast to stand at 1.6 million by 2020, an average annual rise of 0.4 per cent. The forecast annual growth in visitor nights for holiday travel and visiting friends and relatives in the ACT are -0.9 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.
“Tourism brings $596 million a year into the ACT economy,” said the Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP.
“With so much economic prosperity at stake from this vital industry, not least among the 8,000 Canberrans directly employment in tourism, through the National Long Term Tourism Strategy we are doing the hard work to unleash more investment in hotels, transport and tourism infrastructure.
“Emerging markets, especially China, offer fresh opportunities to invest in quality tourism experiences for the future – both for domestic travellers and those from overseas.
“Our tourism industry must improve on the supply side. For example, the 2020 Tourism Industry Potential estimates we’ll need another 40,000 to 70,000 rooms across Australia by the end of the decade. We’ll need up to 150,000 more jobs in tourism too.
“A collective focus is essential. By working with state and territory governments and industry on capacity-building measures such as planning, transport and skills, Australia will be in better shape to welcome more visitors,” Minister Ferguson said.
The Tourism Forecasting Committee’s regional forecast tables are at www.ret.gov.au/tra