The latest Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey and International Visitor Survey has revealed Victoria’s $40 billion visitor economy is being fuelled by international spending, with overseas visitors outlaying a record $9 billion (up 41 per cent year-on-year) in the year ending December 2024.
China remains the state’s top international market for total spend ($2.7 billion), while Victoria remains the destination of choice for Indian visitors, who spent $714 million in the year ending December 2024.
Visit Victoria’s focus on international, particularly the Indian market, is reaping rewards with visitors spending a record $714 million here last year.
Spending by international travellers in regional Victoria also reached a new record of $645 million in 2024 – up 36 per cent.
Visit Victoria is focused on growing visitor numbers and driving further dispersal of visitors into regional Victoria.
Visit Victoria is supporting the growth of international visitation through tourism initiatives like the recent Indian inbound trade mission, our Global Immersion Program, along with major events like the Boxing Day Test and Pro Kabaddi League Melbourne Raid.
Visit Victoria is also working closely with more than 60 operators who are preparing to represent Victoria at the Australian Tourism Exchange 2025 next month – supporting international recovery and driving further economic growth.
Business events won by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) have also injected millions of dollars into the economy with events attracting international visitation.
154 events were held in 2024, with large-scale international conventions, such as the 106th Lions International Convention and the World Health Summit Regional Meeting, bolstering Melbourne’s reputation as a premier destination for global gatherings.
Through the International Business Accelerator Program, Visit Victoria supports Victorian operators to promote their businesses on the global stage to attract more international visitors to the State through initiatives like the Marketing Excellence Program and International Mentoring Program.
The regions continue to be boosted by our Regional Events Fund, which attracts thousands of visitors to events including Comedy in the Vines, Matildas versus Chinese Taipei in Geelong and the Grampians Grape Escape.
Recent announcements will continue to support a boost to the visitor economy in years to come, such as the new partnership between Visit Victoria and Melbourne Airport through the Visit Victoria Industry Partnership Program to bring Delta Air Lines services direct from LA to Melbourne from December.
Visit Victoria will continue to work hard to ensure more visitors experience first-hand what makes our State ‘Every bit different’.
