The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) welcomes a recent report released by Tourism Research Australia, indicating that Victoria is leading the charge in the growth of businesses in the tourism sector – further illustrating that the visitor economy is an economic pillar for the state’s future prosperity.
Over a five-year period, from June 2013 to June 2018, results show that Victoria experienced the highest growth in total businesses with a 15.1 per cent increase (+10,817 businesses), 11.7 per cent above the national average.
Melbourne had the strongest growth of all major cities, with total businesses rising 22.1 per cent (+10,562 businesses) over the period – and regional Victoria recorded the highest growth rate for total businesses out of all the non-capital city regions across Australia, with an increase of 3.4 per cent (+800 businesses).
Chief Executive Felica Mariani said, “We already know that tourism and events are growth industries for Victoria, contributing more than $31 billion to the state economy each year and employing more than 230,000 people – and these results firmly reiterate that.
“The tourism sector continues to demonstrate its value and attractiveness as a diverse and growing industry with many exciting career pathways and we are delighted to see Victoria leading the charge over this five-year period,” she said.
“While VTIC is encouraged by these results, there is still work to do to ensure that the tourism sector continues to thrive in Victoria.
“The challenge is for policy makers to continue this momentum by creating a framework that will attract new business ventures into the state and increase investment in tourism infrastructure.”
