FLORIADE WEATHERS THE STORM € SECOND BEST YEAR EVER

Despite the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and bad weather Floriade in 2009 has made its second biggest economic contribution to the ACT.

Floriade 2009 contributed $22.7 million to the ACT, second only to the record breaking $25.3 million 2008 event. The 2009 event attracted an attendance 362,684 compared to 407,667 the previous year.

NightFest 2009, which was severely impacted by bad weather, attracted attendance of 16,294 compared to 30,248 in 2008.

A total of 104,102 interstate and international visitors came to Canberra specifically to attend Floriade or extended their stay because of it. Almost two-thirds (65.9%) stayed for at least one night with the average length of stay being 2.9 nights.

The majority of interstate visitors came from Sydney (35.2 percent) and Regional NSW (34.3 percent). Victoria provided 11.1 percent of visitors, Queensland 9.8 percent and South Australia 5.1 percent.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation Andrew Barr said Floriade’s strong performance in difficult circumstances shows the event is recognised nationally and internationally.

“Against a backdrop of some poor weather and the GFC Floriade was still able to attract strong visitor numbers and make its second biggest economic contribution ever,” Mr Barr said.

“This further proves that the event is highly regarded by people from around Australia and around the world, and that even in tough economic times they don’t want to miss it.

“The event’s strong economic contribution in very tough times also shows that Floriade’s marketing is increasingly appealing to the more profitable sectors of the market. We are getting solid numbers of visitors from out of our region. These visitors are more likely to stay in Canberra longer and to see and do as much as they can during their visit.

“This is a great result for Floriade in a very tough year. I congratulate everyone involved with staging the event and look forward to making an announcement about the theme for Floriade 2010 in the near future,” Mr Barr said.

Media Contact:

Paul Kindermann
6205 1690
0403 600 955
paul.kindermann@act.gov.au