8634.0 - Tourism Indicators, Australia, Dec 2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 11/05/2001   
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MEDIA RELEASE

May 11, 2001
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
48/2001
Olympics tourism boom mainly confined to Sydney

Tourist accommodation takings and room occupancy soared in Sydney during the Olympics but the rest of Australia showed little change, according to a report released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The information on accommodation outcomes during the Olympics comes from a special article in the December Quarter issue of Tourism Indicators, Australia (Cat. No. 8634.0).

The report compared data from the six months to December 2000 with that from the same period in 1999 and found that most of the increased activity associated with the Olympics occurred in New South Wales, particularly Sydney, during September 2000.

In September 2000, occupancy rates in New South Wales hit record levels in licensed hotels (78 percent) and serviced apartments (69 percent). These translated into a 114 percent increase in takings between August and September 2000, with average takings per room night occupied (across all accommodation types) increasing to $209.

Similarly, occupancy rates increased throughout most of the Sydney metropolitan area with the highest rate occurring in Parramatta (91 percent). Takings in Sydney reflected higher occupancy rates and higher tariffs, with takings increasing 162 percent in September 2000 compared to September 1999. Sydney contributed 82 percent to total takings for New South Wales and 43 percent to takings nationally for September 2000.

This boom in tourist accommodation did not occur in the remaining States. In the September quarter 2000 compared to the September quarter 1999, takings in New South Wales increased 48 percent while the increases in the other States were 10 percent or less and could largely be attributed to the introduction of the GST. However, only Victoria recorded increased occupancy rates in either the September or December quarters 2000 compared to the same quarters in the previous year.

Details can be found in Tourism Indicators, Australia (cat. no. 8634.0) available from ABS bookshops. If you would like to purchase a copy of this publication, contact the ABS Bookshop in your capital city.