Last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival delivered a record boost to our visitor economy and drew record numbers of visitors to Victoria.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren joined Victoria Racing Club (VRC) Chair Amanda Elliott today to release the 2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival economic impact study.

The report shows the four-race day event injected $427.1 million into our economy – up 10.1 per cent from the previous year.

More than 330,000 people flocked to Flemington to enjoy the flagship carnival, including 119,367 from out of state.

Visitors spent $38.3 million on accommodation – that’s 234,104 bed nights booked – with more people choosing to stay in Melbourne longer to see the very best our state has to offer.

Racegoers spent big on shopping and clothes, splashing more than $44.3 million on retail and fashion (up 6% on 2015).

Along with activations on Weibo and WeChat, VRC mounted the biggest tourism push ever staged in China. As a result, 1.5 million viewers in China tuned in to watch the race.

Over the past three years, more than 21,000 cruise ship passengers have come to Victoria to attend the Carnival, generating more than $32 million for our economy.

The report proves how important events like these are for supporting local businesses, strengthening our books, and for the 20,000 staff and contractors who were employed to make it all happen.

It’s why the Andrews Labor Government is working to boost visitor spending through our Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy to $36.5 billion by 2025, creating even more jobs in the sector.

Media Release – Victorian Government

29 March 2017