The ACT’s visitor economy is holding steady year-on-year, with a flat domestic trend offset by a continuing growth trend for international visitation and spend.
The latest available visitor economy statistics to June 2025 shows international visits and spend are up 18% and 9% respectively, whilst domestic overnight visits and spend are flat in line with the national trend. However, recent interest rate cuts and shifts in household expenditure suggests the domestic market is ready to travel.
Key trends among our Domestic and International visitors
Domestic visitors
• People are seeking to travel but not spending as much, reflecting household budget pressures. Rate reductions have eased some pressure as seen in recent household expenditure data.
• People are looking to travel – ABS household expenditure data shows travel/hospitality related spend was prioritised over other categories (e.g. furniture/whitegoods). Tap into this desire to:
• demonstrate to prospective visitors the value and reward in travel.
• dial up Canberra’s opportunity to fit in more for less.
• Domestic Day visitors are growing, however, spending less and cannibalising overnight trips.
• Whilst this is reflective of economic realities, the 3-hour drive market must see compelling reasons and greater value in an overnight stay in Canberra versus a day trip.
International visitors
• International visitation to the ACT is growing faster than the national average, although spend is not growing at the same rate.
• Our high proportion of VFR travel means we need to trigger reasons for spend among VFR visitors – and their local hosts.
• International visitor profiles vary on key dimensions such as age, travel party and purpose for travel, creating opportunities for targeted offers and experiences.
You can find out more about the ACT Visitor Economy at the next Canberra Region Tourism Advisory Forum on 10 December 2025, where the Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism and Trade, along with Jonathan Kobus, Executive Branch Manager of VisitCanberra, will launch Phase 2 of the T2030 ACT Tourism Strategy. This is a free event and you can RSVP here.
You can review the latest ACT Visitor KPIs here and as always get in touch with Justin Garrett with your questions about the latest ACT tourism trends or any specific information needs to help develop your visitor strategies and tactics.