Domestic arts tourism supports local jobs and economies while enriching and connecting Australians through creative experiences.

Arts experiences play a vital role in the daily lives of Australians and a growing number of Australians are engaging with the arts on both daytrips and overnight trips. 

Domestic Arts Tourism: Connecting the Country brings together data from Tourism Research Australia’s (TRA) National Visitor Survey with additional resources to provide insights into domestic arts tourism in Australia. A companion piece to International Arts Tourism: Connecting cultures, this research highlights the potential for the arts to support and drive domestic tourism in Australia and for Australian artists and arts organisations to build their audience reach. It contributes to the evidence about the critical role of arts and creativity to the wellbeing and success of our nation.

Together, Domestic Arts Tourism: Connecting the country and International Arts Tourism: Connecting cultures highlight the value of arts and culture to Australia’s tourism strategies and the importance of a vibrant, creative landscape for tourism, the broader visitor economy and society as a whole. They also equip artists and arts organisations with valuable intelligence about the behaviours and interests of tourists in Australia and strengthen the evidence base for Australian arts and creativity.

Key insights:

• Domestic arts tourism is growing: Greater numbers of Australians are travelling than ever before. Along with population growth and overall growth in domestic tourism, the numbers of Australians engaging with the arts while exploring their own country are growing.
• There are unique offerings in different parts of Australia: There is no one-size-fits all for arts engagement on a domestic trip – Australians connect with the arts in a broad range of ways. The most popular and fastest-growing arts tourism activities vary across the country. Each state, territory and region offers unique arts and creative experiences, and this is reflected in the data.
• First Nations arts and craft are a strong and growing area of domestic arts tourism: First Nations arts tourism is increasing, reflecting Australians’ strong and growing interest in engaging with First Nations arts for their beauty, strength and power, and to understand who we are as a nation. The regions where tourists are most likely to engage with First Nations arts and craft are in regional Australia, and particularly regional areas of the Northern Territory where First Nations arts and craft are driving arts engagement by tourists.
• Arts tourism tends to align with travelling further, staying longer and spending more: Arts tourists are high value tourists – they are more likely to stay longer and spend more when travelling than domestic tourists overall. Australians are more likely to engage with the arts when they travel further afield – those who take overnight trips rather than daytrips, and those who travel outside their home state. The areas where tourists are most likely to engage with the arts are often outside the large east coast capital cities.