Ballarat’s visitor economy records $651 million boost

New figures released on Wednesday show tourists are injecting more money into Ballarat than ever before, exceeding the industry’s pre-pandemic value to the city. 

 

The positive results come from the latest Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey for the year ending December 2022. 

 

Despite visitor numbers yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, the tourism industry is recovering well with visitors bringing $651 million into Ballarat’s visitor economy – an increase of 47.2 per cent on 2021 results. 

 

Total tourism spend in Ballarat now exceeds 2019 figures by 22.9 per cent, which continues to track ahead of the growth of inflation. 

This is also trending ahead of forecasts which estimated Ballarat’s visitor economy would not exceed pre-pandemic levels until at least June 2024. 

 

“This healthy spend means Ballarat is attracting high yielding visitors who are happy to spend their money, giving local businesses the best opportunity to flourish,” City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson said. 

 

“Like Ballarat, you will find most regions are pushing for high-quality tourism, which is encouraging visitors to stay longer and spend more.” 

 

Figures also show continued recovery in daytrip and overnight travel across the city: 

• Ballarat attracted almost two-million-day trip visitors, an increase of 43.1 per cent when compared to the same time the previous year; and 

• Overnight visitors increased by 28.1 per cent on 2021, with 732,000 visitors choosing to stay the night in the city. 

"What these numbers show us is that we’re on the right path,” Cr Hudson said.  

“People see value in Ballarat, and this is a testament to a resilient and innovative tourism industry and the quality of our events that continue to draw visitors to the region.” 

“However, while Ballarat’s visitor numbers continue to trend in the right direction, we acknowledge we’re still not quite performing at pre-pandemic levels, nor are we recovering as quickly as our neighbours in Bendigo and Geelong.” 

 

“As a city, we’re committed to supporting this sector by optimising our marketing efforts, working alongside operators and creatives to ensure our tourism product attracts visitors to the city, and working closely with our neighbours to bring about transformational change for the region,” Cr Hudson said. 

 

Tourism Research Australia's 2023 year-ending March data is expected to be released in July.  

 

 

Source: Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey for the year ending December 2022