Have you ever wondered how many tourists visit Melbourne each year? We're here to give you some insight.
Whether you like to watch live music, go to sporting events or just enjoy the unbeatable coffee culture, there's no denying Victoria is a popular destination for tourists all around the world.
With so much to do, you can choose to enjoy the renowned cafes, food and bars in the city hubs of Melbourne and St Kilda, or explore the Great Ocean Road and the southernmost tip of the Australian mainland in regional Victoria.
So, to better understand where both international and domestic visitors are travelling around Victoria, Budget Direct has gathered official data on one of the busiest destinations in Australia. Find out more from our deep dive below.
Quick Stats
Victoria was Australia's second most visited destination for international travellers in the 2022/23 financial year.
Melbourne saw the highest level of domestic tourism spending in the country when broken down by region.
There was $36.1 billion spent in tourism in Victoria in the year to June 2023, which is 16% more than pre-pandemic levels.
International Tourism
Victoria was Australia's second most visited destination for holidaying international travellers in the 2022/23 financial year, behind New South Wales.
Of all the short-term international visitors to Australia in that financial year, a quarter said they intended to stay in Victoria on arrival. [1]
Key Facts
$5.6 billion spent by overnight international visitors in Victoria in the year ending September 2023
1.9 million international overnight visitors in Victoria in the year ending September 2023
44.8 million nights spent by international visitors in Victoria in the year ending September 2023 [2]
The international tourism industry in Victoria has seen a large year-on-year increase across the board. Compared to results in the year ending September 2022, Victoria has seen a:
126% increase in international overnight spend
198% increase in international visitors
79% increase in nights spent by international visitors [2]
In Melbourne, annual international visitor spending was up 77% in the year to August 2023. In that same year, international visitors were mostly spending their money on:
Dining and entertainment - $27.3 million
Specialised and luxury goods - $11.5 million [3]
Domestic Tourism
In the year ending September 2023, Melbourne had the largest domestic tourism spend when broken down by regions in Australia, hitting a total of just under $12 billion.
This was despite having fewer visitors in that year than Sydney, which was the top-visited region in the country. [4]
Key Facts
$22.5 billion spent by domestic visitors in Victoria in the year ending September 2023
28.0 million domestic visitors to Victoria in the year ending September 2023
82.1 million nights spent by domestic visitors in Victoria in the year ending September 2023 [5]
Almost half of the total domestic spend was made up of those travelling on holiday, while the rest was almost evenly split by those travelling to visit friends and relatives, those travelling for business and those travelling for all other reasons. [5]
Meanwhile, Victorian locals appear to be the ones spending the most on domestic tourism in their state with those from Melbourne and regional Victoria topping the list of overnight spending. [5]
Region of Origin |
Total Spend in Victoria |
---|---|
Melbourne |
$6.93 billion |
Regional Victoria |
$5.43 billion |
Sydney |
$3.06 billion |
Queensland |
$2.01 billion |
Regional New South Wales |
$1.60 billion |
South Australia |
$1.27 billion |
Western Australia |
$1.05 billion |
Tasmania |
$0.55 billion |
Metro and Regional Domestic Tourism
Despite there being almost double the number of overnight visitors to regional Victoria in the year ending September 2023, there was around $1 billion more spent by domestic visitors in Melbourne in the same period. [6]
Melbourne vs Regional Victoria 2022/23
COVID-19 Impact
With 262 days in lockdown over the peak of the pandemic, Melbourne experienced what was later known as the world's longest lockdown. [7]
This meant that both international and domestic tourism, in what was once one of Australia's busiest cities, came to a standstill.
In December 2019, just before Australia's first major wave of COVID-19, there were more than 100 million visitors to Victoria in total. Just over a year later, this figure plummeted to less than half that with 46.5 million total visitors to Victoria in March 2021.
Now, in the year to September 2023, the total number of visitors to Victoria has risen to 90.3 million, which is a 20% increase year-on-year but still 7% less than pre-pandemic levels in the year to September 2019. [8]
Tourism Recovery
While the total number of visitors and the total number of nights are both still below pre-pandemic levels, tourism spending is up in Victoria.
In the year to September 2023, tourism spending reached $36.9 billion. This was 17% up on spending in the year to September 2019.
The recovery comes after total tourism spending dropped to a low of $9.8 billion in March 2021, when Australia was experiencing the peak of a pandemic wave. [8]
In October 2023, Victoria made a 79% return to pre-pandemic levels of international visitors that month, when compared to October 2019. This was the fourth-highest percentage of recovery compared to all other states and territories following the impact of the pandemic. [9]