Tourism and Conventions

Tourism is the largest private sector segment of the ACT economy. Canberra is home to over 6,800 tourism related businesses. The ACT attracts around 3.5 million international and domestic visitors annually who spend some A$1.3 billion in the local economy.

Canberra is a thriving modern city with world class galleries and museums, stylish restaurants and bars, craft and food markets and plenty of fun for families and travellers seeking a unique experience.

Australia's leading iconic and cultural institutions are in the ACT, including

  • The National Museum of Austrlia
  • The Australian War Memorial
  • The National Portrait Gallery
  • Parliament House
  • Old Parliament House
  • The National Gallery of Australia
  • The National Library of Australia
  • The National Film and Sound Archive
  • The Australian Institute of Sport, and
  • Questacon (the National Science and Technology Centre).

The surronding region also offers historic towns, Namadgi National Park, stunning beaches and coastlines and the dramatic landscape of the Snowy Mountains - all within easy access.

The Canberra region has numerous award winning wineries, and hosts the International Riesling Challenge and the prestigious National Wine Show.

Canberra's annual festival of flowers, Floriade, is a highlight of the tourism calendar, attracting over 350,000 visitors each year during the month long event.

In addition, Canberra is a sought after convention destination. By virtue of its national capital status and as home of the Australian Parliament, it attracts diverse meetings, conferences and conventions. The ACT Government has recently completed a major upgrade of the National Convention Centre.

With the strong tourism infrastructure and significant visitor attractions, there are many opportunities for creative and innovative tourism businesses to flourish in the national capital.

Case Study: Datatrax

Canberra based Datatrax has pioneered the development of touchscreen solutions for over 10 years. Its flagship product Tourism Touchscreens is now in use at many tourist destinations throughout Australia and internationally.

Tourism Touchscreens allow visitors to quickly and easily find out about a range of local tourism services such as attractions, accommodation, dining and shopping 24 hours a day. They provide a cost effective and highly targeted medium for tourism businesses to promote their products and services.

Tourism Touchscreens profile 250 towns in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Japan through tourist information centres, hotels, attractions, shopping malls, airports and more. The touchscreens have the capacity to store the equivalent of 10,000 brochures, each one accessible within eight touches. Visitors find the screens fun to use and the information is memorable through the use of sight and sound stimuli, including high quality video productions.

Datatrax is a multi-award winner; having won the presigious General Tourism Services Category in the New South Wales Tourism Awards, the Capital Region Tourism Award and many other state awards. Tourism Touchscreens have also been featured in the Australian Technology Showcase, a government initiative to promote the nation's best technology.

Datatrax is actively seeking to partner with Asian, European and American regions or countries in the further expansion of its Tourism Touchscreens product.

For further information contact:
www.visitcanberra.com.au
www.datatrax.com
www.business.act.gov.au

Phone Canberra Connect:
1800 244 650 (Australia)
+61 13 22 81 (International)