Purchase of arts and crafts
Between July and December 1997, BTR conducted a survey which collected information on the purchase of arts and crafts by the 2.0 million international visitors to Australia aged 15 years and over.
The survey found that over 90% of those visiting in the six-month period had been shopping while in Australia, and of these, 41% had spent some money on art and handcraft. Arts were purchased by 7% of shoppers and handcrafts by 39% (5% purchased both).
Expenditure on art in the six-month period totalled $10.1m, while total expenditure on handcraft equalled $137.4m. Handcrafted clothing ($63.6m) and leather goods ($38.5m) were the main items purchased. Over half the expenditure on art and handcraft was for Aboriginal items ($77.7m out of $147.5m).
2.3 PURCHASES OF ARTS AND CRAFTS BY INTERNATIONAL VISITORS - July to December 1997 |
|
| | Percentage of
total visitors who
purchased item(a) | Average expenditure
by visitors who
purchased item(a) | Total expenditure |
| | % | $ | $m |
|
Arts | | | |
| Paintings, drawings or prints | 6.0 | 4.5 | 8.6 |
| Sculpture | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Total | (b)7.1 | 5.3 | 10.1 |
Handcrafts | | | |
| Wood or furniture | 7.8 | 6.1 | 11.5 |
| Ceramics or pottery | 5.2 | 2.4 | 4.5 |
| Glass | 4.1 | 1.5 | 2.8 |
| Handcrafted clothing | 19.3 | 33.5 | 63.6 |
| Other textiles | 2.0 | 1.6 | 3.1 |
| Metal | 2.6 | 2.1 | 3.9 |
| Leather | 11.8 | 20.3 | 38.5 |
| Other handcrafts | 7.3 | 5.0 | 9.5 |
| Total | (b)38.9 | 72.4 | 137.4 |
Total art and handcrafts | (b)41.0 | 77.7 | 147.5 |
|
(a) Who had some expenditure on shopping while in Australia. This was estimated to be 1,898,000 persons. |
(b) Components do not add to the total as some visitors purchased more than one type of item. |
BTR, Cultural Tourism in Australia: Visual Art & Craft Shopping by International Visitors, 1997, prepared for DCITA. |