TOURISM

Tourism may be motivated by the desire to visit friends and relatives or to experience the character and culture of a destination. Tourism Research Australia (TRA) conducts the International Visitor Survey (IVS) and the National Visitor Survey (NVS). The IVS represents the most comprehensive source of information on international visitors to Australia. The NVS is the major source of information on the characteristics and travel patterns of domestic tourists within Australia.

While both the IVS and NVS were conducted in 2012 there has been no new Cultural and Heritage Tourism in Australia snapshot released since 2009. As a result, the information provided in this chapter presents a profile of international and domestic visitors who participated in cultural and heritage activities in 2012 as provided to the ABS by Tourism Research Australia.

Cultural and heritage visitors

A person is defined as a cultural and heritage visitor if they participate in at least one of the following activities or experiences during their trip:

• attend the theatre, a concert, or other performing arts event
• visit a museum or art gallery
• visit art and/or craft workshop or studio
• attend a festival, fair or similar cultural event
• experience Aboriginal art, craft or cultural display
• visit an Aboriginal site or community
• visit an historical and/or heritage building, site or monument.

International Cultural Tourism

According to Tourism Research Australia's 2012 International Visitor Survey just under half (48%) of all overseas visitors attended at least one cultural attraction while in Australia.

Of Australia's 2.8 million international cultural and heritage visitors in 2012, 58% reported visiting a museum or art gallery and 57% had visited historical/heritage buildings, sites or monuments. Only 9% of international cultural and heritage visitors reported visiting an Aboriginal site or community.

OVERSEAS CULTURAL AND HERITAGE VISITORS, By activity type, 2012
	Percentage of overseas cultural and heritage visitors
Type of cultural and heritage tourism activity	%
Attend theatre, concerts or other performing arts	20
Visit museums or art galleries	58
Visit art/craft workshops/studios	14
Attend festivals/fairs or cultural events	21
Experience Aboriginal art/craft and cultural displays	19
Visit an Aboriginal site/community	9
Visit historical/heritage buildings, sites or monuments	57

Source: Tourism Research Australia


Visitors from Other Asia (i.e. Asia excluding China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and India) accounted for 17% of all international cultural and heritage visitors. New Zealand and the United Kingdom accounted for a further 13% and 12% of visitors respectively.

International cultural and heritage visitors spent $16,387m on trips to Australia in 2012. The average amount spent per trip was $5,956 compared with other international visitors who spent on average $3,779. It is likely that this higher spend was due to the longer average length of stay (47 nights compared with other international visitors who spent 26 nights on average).


Domestic Cultural Tourism

The National Visitor Survey reported that Australians aged 15 years and over took 173.9 million day trips in 2012, compared with 144.4 million in 2009. A day trip is a round trip distance of at least 50 kilometres, with the traveller being away from home for at least four hours, but not overnight. Routine travel such as commuting between work and home is excluded.

According to Tourism Research Australia, in 2012, 11.5 million domestic day trips were cultural and heritage day trips.

During 2012, Australians aged 15 years and over took 74.5 million overnight trips within Australia. Of these, 15% (11.3 million) were cultural and heritage visitors, who spent a collective 59.8 million nights at least 40 kilometres from home.

Visiting museums or art galleries was the most popular cultural activity for both domestic overnight visitors and day trippers with attendance of 46% and 38% respectively. Visits to historical/heritage buildings, sites or monuments attracted 29% of overnight visitors and 21% of day visitors.

DOMESTIC CULTURAL AND HERITAGE VISITORS, By activity type, 2012
	Percentage of domestic overnight cultural and heritage visitors	Percentage of domestic day cultural and heritage visitors
Type of cultural and heritage tourism activity	%	%
Attend theatre, concerts or other performing arts	20	22
Visit museums or art galleries	46	38
Visit art/craft workshops/studios	4	5
Attend festivals/fairs or cultural events	20	23
Experience Aboriginal art/craft and cultural displays	2	na
Visit an Aboriginal site/community	2	na
Visit historical/heritage buildings, sites or monuments	29	21
Source: Tourism Research Australia

According to Tourism Research Australia, domestic overnight cultural and heritage visitors spent $11,375m in 2012. The average amount spent per trip was $1,008 compared with those not participating in cultural and heritage activities, who spent on average $611 per trip.