Canberra Tourism Statistics

Canberra is Australia's capital city, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Known for its national institutions and designed landscape, Canberra's tourism sector has evolved over the past decades from primarily government-focused to an increasingly leisure destination.

Over 3 million tourists visit Canberra each year.

• Over 3.47 million total tourists visited Canberra in 2019, marking a pre-pandemic peak.
• Visitor numbers dropped during the pandemic years of 2020 to 2021, with recovery beginning in 2022 as arrivals increased to 3.12 million and continued growing through 2023 with 3.48 million visitors.
• Canberra recorded approximately 3.32 million overall visitors in 2024, representing a decrease from 2023 but maintaining strong recovery levels.

How many tourists visited Canberra in 2024?

Canberra welcomed 3.32 million overall visitors in 2024.

• In 2024, domestic tourists accounted for approximately 93% (3.10 million), while international visitors comprised approximately 7% (0.215 million) of the total arrivals in Canberra.
• This represents an approximately 5% decrease from 2023 and stands approximately 4% below the 2019 pre-pandemic peak, indicating continued recovery with some fluctuation.

How many tourists visited Canberra in 2023?

Canberra welcomed 3.48 million overall visitors in 2023.

• In 2023, domestic tourists accounted for approximately 95% (3.30 million), while international visitors comprised approximately 5% (0.179 million) of the total arrivals in Canberra.
• This represents an approximately 12% increase from 2022 and stands just approximately 1% above the 2019 pre-pandemic peak, confirming Canberra's near-complete tourism recovery.

Tourists spend over AUD 3.2 billion in Canberra each year.

• Tourism revenue reached AUD 2.43 billion before the pandemic in 2019.
• A 55% decline followed, bringing revenue down to AUD 1.09 billion in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• Early signs of recovery emerged as revenue increased by 12% to AUD 1.22 billion in 2021, though still 50% below 2019 levels.
• A strong rebound pushed revenue up by 104% to AUD 2.49 billion in 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by approximately 3%.
• Continued growth led to a 24% increase, reaching AUD 3.09 billion in 2023, maintaining a 27% lead over 2019.
• Steady momentum brought revenue up by 3% from 2023 to AUD 3.19 billion in 2024, standing 31% higher than 2019 levels.

How much did tourists spend in Canberra in 2024?

Total tourist spending reached AUD 3.19 billion in Canberra in 2024, a 3% increase from 2023.

• Domestic tourists contributed AUD 2.56 billion, while international visitors spent AUD 0.63 billion in 2024.

How much did tourists spend in Canberra in 2023?

Total spending reached AUD 3.09 billion in Canberra in 2023, up 24% from 2022.

• Domestic visitors accounted for AUD 2.60 billion, and international tourists spent AUD 0.49 billion in 2023.

China accounts for the largest share of international visitors, comprising 18% of the total in 2024.

• Other key source markets include the United States (12%), New Zealand (10%), the United Kingdom (8%), India (6%), and Other Countries (46%) in 2024.

Canberra has gained the rank #3 among the world's top 10 cities to visit in Lonely Planet's prestigious Best in Travel 2018 rankings, the highest ranking ever achieved by an Australian city.

• The ACT tourism industry received a record seven awards at the 2023 Australian Tourism Awards, including three Gold awards.
• Canberra has transformed its image from just a "boring capital" to being known for its "cool" factor, vibrant short-break destination, and quality experiences.
• Events like Floriade, Enlighten, and the National Multicultural Festival have become internationally recognized attractions.

September, October, and December are the peak tourist months in Canberra tourism in 2023.

• September, October, and December are the busiest months, each accounting for 11% of total visitors in Canberra.
• January and April each account for 9% of annual visitors in Canberra.

• Canberrans are avid travelers with outbound international trips estimated at 250,000+ in 2019 (pre-pandemic).
• Outbound travel dropped by more than 95% in 2020-21 due to border closures and travel restrictions.
• By late 2023, ACT resident outbound travel had rebounded to approximately 80-90% of pre-pandemic levels.
• Canberra Airport lost international flights during the pandemic but has gradually regained connections, with services to Singapore, Fiji, and other destinations resuming.
• In 2023, international visitor arrivals to the ACT (which includes returning residents) were at 86% of 2019 levels, the highest recovery rate of any Australian state.

• Total visitors dropped to approximately 1.70 million in 2020, a decline of 51% from the pre-pandemic peak of 3.47 million in 2019.
• Numbers increased to around 1.74 million in 2021, marking the start of recovery.
• Visitor spending declined to AUD 1.09 billion in 2020, a decrease of 55% from AUD 2.43 billion in 2019.
• Spending began to recover in 2021, reaching AUD 1.22 billion, up 12% from 2020.

• Floriade: Australia's largest flower festival attracts over 400,000 visitors each year (433,271 in 2023), generating approximately $35-40 million in economic impact annually.
• National Multicultural Festival: Broke records in 2023 with 380,563 total attendances over three days (273,965 unique attendees), with an economic impact estimated at $20.8 million.
• Enlighten Festival: Attracts about 115,000 attendees over its run, with light installations projected onto national buildings at night.
• Summernats: Car festival drawing 130,000 attendees over four days in 2024, a record attendance.
• Canberra Balloon Spectacular: Launches approximately 25 hot air balloons at dawn each day for a week in March, attracting tens of thousands of spectators.

• Australian War Memorial: The most visited attraction, with close to 900,000 visitors annually.
• National Institutions: Parliament House, National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia, and Questacon (which had a record 514,000 visitors in 2018-19).
• Floriade: The month-long spring flower festival in Commonwealth Park draws over 400,000 attendees annually.
• Other: Lake Burley Griffin, Mount Ainslie Lookout.