Interstate tourists flock to Victoria in record numbers

INTERSTATE tourists flocked to Victoria in record numbers last year, taking in a number of unique experiences including the van Gogh exhibition and White Night, latest research shows.

INTERSTATE tourists flocked to Victoria in record numbers last year, latest research shows.

The National Visitor Survey for 2017 found that 24.5 million domestic tourists visited Victoria — an 11.5 per cent jump on the previous year.

Crowd-pulling events such as the van Gogh exhibition at the NGV and White Night in Melbourne and Ballarat helped contribute to the increases.

VICTORIA’S TOP TOURIST ATTRACTION REVEALED

Food and wine festivals and local attractions helped the state’s regions benefit from interstate travellers.

Gippsland had 28 per cent more visitors, while Grampians (up 22.7 per cent) and Mornington Peninsula (up 18.2 per cent) also had higher numbers. Melbourne’s visitor numbers jumped 7.2 per cent in the 12 months.

The lit-up Melbourne Town Hall during White Night. Picture: Getty Images

The state’s sporting, business and entertainment events drove the interstate tourism boom which delivered $13.6 billion to the state economy, including $7.7 billion in the capital.

Visit Victoria’s “A Twist At Every Turn” campaign, launched last October, aims to bring more people from other states to Melbourne.

The campaign showcases Melbourne’s sport, arts, fashion, food and wine, shopping, as well as music and theatre.

It is the first major campaign promoting Melbourne in six years and was shown on TV, in cinemas and online across the country. It features Melbourne artists and musicians, at landmark city sites including the MCG, Hotel Windsor and Hosier Lane.

People packed into the NGV for the van Gogh and the Seasons exhibition. Picture: David Caird

The van Gogh blockbuster last winter attracted 420,000 people, breaking the record set by the Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei exhibition in 2015-16.

The exhibition of the Dutch master’s works was extended by four days to cater for the long queues of art lovers lining up outside the building on St Kilda Rd.

About 600,000 people attended White Night in Melbourne last year and crowds continued again last month.

OUR VAN GOGH-TO EXHIBITION A HIT

TOURISTS ‘SPOILING LIFE’ FOR PENINSULA LOCALS

About 40,000 people attended the inaugural Ballarat White Night last year.

Tourism Minister John Eren said the visitor survey statistics confirmed Victoria was “hitting the right notes with interstate tourists”.

“We’re thrilled to see such strong growth across our regions — because the more visitors we lure, the more jobs we create and businesses we support,” Mr Eren said.

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@IanRoyall