The ACT Government’s T2030: ACT Tourism Strategy 2023-2030, published today, sets the foundation to grow Canberra’s visitor economy to $3.1 billion by 2025, and to $4 billion by 2030, Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced.

The ACT will return to its pre-pandemic overnight visitor expenditure level of $2.5 billion by 2026, Mr Barr expects.

“The launch of the long-term tourism strategy comes as the ACT economy continues to rebound from the impacts of the pandemic,” the Chief Minister said.

“Visitors to our city have increased in recent months, hotel occupancy is strong, and the number of domestic overnight visitors, and their expenditure, is higher than it was during the equivalent period in 2019. Our visitor economy is diverse, and year-round, with people travelling to Canberra for leisure, to visit friends and relatives, do business and study. 

“Our tourism sector contributes not only to our city’s economic growth and job creation, but to the wellbeing of our community as well.” 

The strategy will focus on increasing employment in the tourism industry from 18,500 to 22,750 people. It also identifies ways to directly connect Canberra to more cities domestically, and internationally, by air.

To achieve these objectives, T2030 will:

• Develop Canberra as a global destination. “To do this, we will build on Canberra and the region’s unique advantages and grow our international profile and visitation,” Mr Barr said.
• Promote Canberra’s destination strengths and celebrate its distinct character. “We will embrace the destination’s owned strengths to create new opportunities and promote the city to our priority markets,” Mr Barr said.
• Contribute to the wellbeing of our community. “Tourism will make a positive contribution to all those that call Canberra home,” Mr Barr said.
• Develop iconic destination experiences. “Together, we will aim to provide experiences that bring our iconic offerings to life, and exceed visitor expectations,” Mr Barr said.

The government will release action plans that will underpin the strategy; the first action plan will be released in early 2023.

“We want visitors to our city to leave with a greater appreciation for Canberra, and to feel fulfilled, educated, and wanting to tell others about the quality of the diverse experiences on offer,” Mr Barr said.

“We also want visitors to think about our city and region as a great place to live, study, work, and invest, with a reputation as progressive, inclusive, and welcoming to all.”

The ACT Government will work with the local tourism industry to enable sustainable growth and address challenges facing the tourism sector such as the attraction and retention of skilled staff, Mr Barr said.