On this day in 1992, David Lawrence, the chief executive of the ACT Tourism Commission said that Canberra was expected to receive a $14 million (about $30 million today) boost from the expected 10 per cent rise in tourism for the year.
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Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) highlighted that the occupancy rates of tourism accommodation in Canberra experienced a 3.5 percentage points rise for the March quarter when compared to the same period from the previous year. Canberra's occupancy rate sat 6 points above the national average.
Rosemary Follett, the chief minister, said that the statistics "confirmed the tourism industry is enjoying a significant up-trend. My government has already announced that it will fund an events unit within the Tourism Commission that will help continue this growth in revenue and jobs and help the industry avoid the troughs evident in earlier years".
Larwence stated that the rate excluded the increase in tourists who visited Canberra for the Australian National Gallery's Rubens exhibition. He said the exhibition would be the "icing on the cake" for the industry, and the resulting 10 per cent rise in tourism would go onto to create about 700 jobs especially for young people.
Nick Israel, general manager of the Pavilion Hotel in Manuka said business was on the up and up "the past 6 months" and people from other places were discovering that Canberra had a hell lot to offer apart from Parliament House.
Israel also remarked that Canberra was starting to be seen "as the Geneva of the Pacific because we have similar features to the Geneva in Europe due to the lake, the diplomatic aspects and the culture and beauty".
The ABS figures also showed that the average length of stay was 1.9 days which went down from 2.2 days compared to the year before but the total takings from accommodation had increased by about $500,000.
