Minister Barr: Canberra gets the thumbs up from visitors
- Written by ACT Government
Released 18/09/2015
I am pleased to reveal visitor perceptions of Canberra are changing with a new study commissioned by VisitCanberra revealing it is fast becoming the coolest little capital in the world.
The ACT Government has been working hard to promote Canberra and grow our tourism sector, with the aim of growing the value of the visitor economy to $2.5 billion by 2020.
The study, conducted by the market research company Instinct and Reason, found visitors perceive Canberra as a more desirable brand and are more likely to recommend it as a short break destination. The study of 640 Australians was a follow up to a 2010 study with the aim of informing future tourism marketing activity.
Other key findings of the study were:
* The Canberra brand is more desirable with improved perceptions as a more fashionable destination (up 10 per cent to 30 per cent) and gains in its perceptions of its food and wine experiences (up 9 per cent to 50 per cent) and outdoor experiences (up 3 per cent to 35 per cent).* Visitors to the capital for events increased, such as major festivals (up 10 per cent to 35 per cent), major art exhibitions (up 7 per cent to 26 per cent) and sporting events (up 8 per cent to 24 per cent).
Programs and activities implemented by VisitCanberra over the past few years have included campaign activations such as the award-winning Human Brochure and 101 Local Humans and cooperative campaigns including Tourism Australia’s Restaurant Australia. These were supported by an annual targeted digital campaign, investment in the Special Events Fund, public relations and social media activity.
The tourism sector contributes $1.62 billion to the ACT economy and is one of the Territory’s largest private sector employers, supporting 14,700 jobs.
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
