We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples and the Traditional Custodians of Ngunnawal Country, the land on which we meet today. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and also recognise any other people or families with connection to the ACT and Region.
Andrew Barr, ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism and Trade, on the bright future for tourism, hospitality and allied sectors in the years to 2030
Launching Phase 2 of the ACT Government’s T2030 ACT Tourism Strategy, the Chief Minister outlined the plan to grow the visitor economy by $1 billion over the next five years. Positioning tourism as a cornerstone of both economic growth and liveability.
Minister Barr reaffirmed the Government’s ambition to grow the visitor economy by a further $1 billion by 2030. The strategy centres on attracting more visitors, making it cheaper and easier to get to Canberra, encouraging longer stays, and ensuring visitors do more once they arrive. With domestic overnight visitation currently accounting for around two-thirds of visitor spend, he highlighted a clear focus on attracting more visitors from priority markets and converting as many day trips into overnight stays as possible. This work will include strengthening regional partnerships, with the recent collaboration between VisitCanberra and Destination Southern NSW to promote mountain biking experiences shared as a practical example.
International visitation was identified as a key growth opportunity, given longer stays and higher spend. This aligns with the Government’s economic development and international engagement strategies, including the international education attraction agenda. Supporting airline connectivity, including ambitions for improved domestic routes, stronger links to New Zealand and Singapore, and leveraging partnerships such as Qatar and Virgin, is central to this approach.
“Every international student who studies here contributes around $50,000 to the territory economy usually sees at least two or three visiting friends and relatives (VFR) trips associated with each year of study.”
Events continue to deliver exceptional returns, with a deliberate focus on diversity across cultural, sporting and mass-participation events. Major investments in infrastructure, including Exhibition Park, broader city-shaping projects and the newly announced Canberra Lyric Theatre, will significantly enhance Canberra’s capacity to host world-class events and drive visitor nights.
The Chief Minister closed with a clear call to action: achieving these targets will require strong collaboration across tourism, events, hospitality and aviation. With the right partnerships, tourism will play a major role in delivering jobs, growth and a more vibrant Canberra by 2030.
Jonathan Kobus, Executive Branch Manager, VisitCanberra on the Tourism 2030 Phase 2 strategy, its key economic drivers and industry capability and capacity areas of focus
Following the Chief Minister’s official launch of Phase 2 of the ACT Government’s T2030 ACT Tourism Strategy, Jonathan reinforced what the strategy means in practice for industry and how collective action will drive delivery.
He opened by acknowledging the strong attendance, noting it reflected an industry that values coming together to connect, collaborate and build momentum. Events like these forums, alongside the conversations that happen around them, are a critical part of achieving the shared ambition to grow the visitor economy by $1 billion over the next five years.
Jonathan highlighted the importance of recognising Country and the opportunity to elevate First Nations stories and experiences across the visitor economy, while also creating more employment opportunities for First Nations people within the sector. He described this as both a responsibility and a significant opportunity to deepen Canberra’s destination narrative.
Since the strategy’s launch in 2022, Canberra has recorded 34 per cent growth in total visitor spend, supported by growth in jobs, businesses and investment, including new hotel supply. He encouraged industry to move beyond comparisons with 2019 and instead focus on building from today’s baseline, with a clear, forward-looking growth mindset. He outlined the four strategic pillars underpinning Phase 2:
- Increasing domestic visitation and spend from priority target markets
- Leveraging major events as visitation drivers
- Making it easier and more affordable to visit Canberra
- Realising Canberra’s potential in international markets
Jonathan closed with a call for continued collaboration, encouraging industry to engage with VisitCanberra, use the tools and resources available via tourism.act.gov.au, and play an active role in delivering the T2030 ambition together.
Ken Lau, Manager Marketing & Loyalty Programs, Qatar Airways Southwest Pacific, Japan & Korea, on Qatar’s daily flights to and from Canberra and their future objectives
Ken opened by celebrating Qatar Airways’ return to Canberra, positioning it as a strong vote of confidence in the capital and Australia more broadly as a cornerstone of the airline’s global network. He reinforced the importance of collaboration with government, airports and industry, and highlighted Qatar Airways’ commitment to building new partnerships to support growth in line with the ACT’s tourism vision.
From last week, Qatar Airways resumed daily Boeing 777 services from Canberra, reconnecting the city to more than 170 destinations worldwide via Doha. For trade, this delivers significant capacity and global reach, underpinned by a premium onboard experience that sets the airline apart.
Ken highlighted the award-winning Qsuite business class, dine-on-demand service, Australian chef-curated menus and a strong focus on showcasing sustainably sourced Australian produce across all cabins. Complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi across the fleet was also positioned as a key differentiator for both business and leisure travellers.
A major focus of the presentation was their award winning loyalty program. Qatar Airways is currently the only international airline in Australia offering earn and redemption across both Qantas Frequent Flyer and Virgin Australia Velocity, while also promoting the growing value of its own Privilege Club programme for Australian travellers and corporates. Ken encouraged the industry to explore corporate travel partnerships, including discounts and fast-track status opportunities.
Ken also underscored the strategic partnership with Virgin Australia, which significantly boosts capacity and connectivity, including seamless domestic connections into Canberra. Together, the airlines are driving inbound demand, multi-city itineraries and stronger global access for Australia, with a clear call for industry to leverage this expanded network to grow visitation and trade.
Dr David Marshall, Chair of the Leaders Forum highlighted:
Congratulations to the Canberra Region Tourism Award Winners, David looks forward to representing the region at the National Awards in Fremantle to be held in 2026.
Congratulations to Cockington Green Gardens on the launch of their new miniature train.
The launch for Summernats 2026 was held on 9 December, the event will run from 8 to 11 January 2026.
The ACT City Renewal Authority has launch it's fantastic new website, inthecity.com.au, to help you navigate where to eat, drink and socialise across Canberra's City Centre and Braddon. We encourage you to check it out.
A reminder that works will start on Commonwealth Avenue Bridge from the 7th of January and continue over the next two years, please allow yourself plenty of time for travel into the city and when attending future forums.