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                    Melbourne Economy Snapshot

                    Pedestrians crossing at Flinders Street Station.
                    Harness Melbourne's new rhythm with the latest city data to boost your business.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Melbourne Economy Snapshot is a free seasonal activity guide that reveals where people spend their time and money in Australia’s most liveable city, and events capital of the nation.

                    The snapshot is designed to help businesses work smarter, make more data-led decisions and potentially boost their business offering.

                    Explore weekday, weekend and night-time activity to align your opening hours, rosters and services to new city trends. ​

                    Economy Snapshot – 22 February 2024  

                    Key insights include: ​​​

                    • Latest highlights from our Economic Development Strategy 2031​ show the economy is up by almost five per cent to $114 billion, jobs are on the rise and shopfront vacancies more than halved.  
                    • Melbourne continues to attract major drawcard events boosting night-time activity and spending across the city. 
                    • Docklands beat records during the 2023 festive period with spending and pedestrian activity at its highest since 2018. 
                    • AFL fans increase spending in Docklands by up to 30 per cent on game days. 

                    Previous snapshots

                    Economy Snapshot - 30 November 2023

                    ​Key insights include:

                    • International travellers are flocking to the city and visitor spend is increasing significantly.
                    • More people are calling our city home - spending, working and investing in the local economy.
                    • Our city's capacity as a smart place to do business continues to grow as the knowledge economy thrives.
                    • Dog registrations have increased by 81 per cent, presenting opportunities to engage in the lucrative pet-care industry.

                    Download the guide

                    Economy Snapshot – 10 August 2023

                    ​Key insights include:​

                    • More Melbourne businesses are choosing to enhance their retail and hospitality offerings, with permit approvals for businesses upgrades nearly doubling in the past year and trending towards pre-pandemic levels.​
                    • Our tourism sector is thriving, with more than 10,000 additional hotel rooms compared to 2019. ​
                    • The city is the place to be in winter – day and night – with visitor activity increasing leading up to and during night-time events including the QVM Winter Night Market and RISING.
                    • Spending in the city continues to grow – led by the tourism and entertainment sectors. Some parts of the economy have been slower to recover, including personal services such as hairdressers and beauty businesses.

                    Economy Snapshot – 3 May 2023

                    ​Key insights include:

                    • Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the busiest days for commuters.  
                    • Students are returning, thriving and spending. Their return has coincided with an increase in spending across the city. 
                    • ​Businesses are responding to changing trends by tweaking their operating days, with more now open over the weekend. 
                    • Our night-time economy continues to go from strength to strength, supported by major events such as concerts, Moomba and the Grand Prix. ​

                    Download the guide

                    Economy Snapshot – 1 February 2023

                    ​Key insights include: 

                    • A record $1.1 billion was spent across the city in December.  
                    • Friday and Saturday are now our busiest days. 
                    • Weekday spending is as strong as pre-pandemic.  
                    • ​Our night-time economy continues to flourish. 

                    Download the guide


                    For quarterly updates, subscribe to the Busi​nes​s in Melbourne newsletter​​. You can also share your feedback via cityfacts@melbourne.vic.gov.au​​​.​​​
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