Page last updated: 11 October 2024
The Great Ocean Road is renowned for its natural beauty, shipwreck history, and cultural diversity. A four-hour drive along the road leads to the 12 Apostles, famous for their striking rock formations and the rich marine life inhabiting Victoria’s limestone reefs.
How many people visit the Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles every year?
The Twelve Apostles welcomes over 2 million visitors each year, making it Victoria’s most popular attraction.
- The Great Ocean Road welcomed over 2.8 million visitors between 2018 and 2019.
- This includes over 2.6 million domestic visitors and 250,000 international visitors.
- In 2023, domestic day trips totalled 3.3 million and domestic overnight trips added up to 2.4 million.
How much do visitors spend at the Great Ocean Road every year?
Domestic tourist spending at the Great Ocean Road reached $1.46 billion in the year ending March 2023.
- The Great Ocean Road accumulated $1.05 billion in tourist revenue in 2017, $1.1 billion in 2018, and $1.15 billion in 2019 during the pre-pandemic period.
- Due to travel restrictions, tourist expenditure dropped to $971 million in 2020 and $643 million in 2021.
- In 2022, recovery began with $810 million in tourist spending.
Great Ocean Road Annual Tourism Report 2019
- The Great Ocean Road welcomed 7.4 million visitors, 8 million overnight visitors, and 4.5 million day trip visitors in 2019.
- Domestic visitation accounted for 2.6 million visitor nights, and 3.7 million day trips. It contributed approximately $1.4 billion through both overnight travel and day trip travel.
- In 2019, international visitation accounted for 250,000 visitor nights, and 800,000 day trips. In the same year, domestic and international visitors spent a total of $1.5 billion.
Where do visitors to the Great Ocean Road come from?
- The majority of the Great Ocean Road’s visitors are Victorians.
- However, the mix of international source markets include China, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Malaysia.
Australia Travel Resources
Impact of Coronavirus – Tourism Statistics 2020-2021
- The coronavirus pandemic caused Victoria’s tourism industry to experience a decline.
- A survey by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council found that 45% of operators had lost bookings, 30% lost bookings from international markets, and 45% of operators had to cut hours or staff to reduce costs.
- The number of tourists per day at the 12 Apostles significantly decreased from 50-100 a day to less than 10 visitors a week.
Australia Travel Statistics
- Australia Statistics
References
- TRA: International Visitor Survey, 2019, National Visitor Survey 2019
- TRA: Economic Analysis
- GreatOceanRoad: The Visitor Economy
- MarineandCoasts: Visitor demand and accommodation forecast
- ABCNet: Victoria’s Tourism meltdown