Floriade 2011 failed to match the record visitor numbers of last year's event, with a 13per cent drop in people heading to Commonwealth Park to tip-toe through the tulips. And fledgling night-time event, Floriade NightFest, also failed to live up to expectations, with this year's attendance reaching just over three-quarters of that of last year.
According to figures issued by the ACT Government yesterday, just over 412,000 people went to the nation's biggest flower show, down from 472,000 in 2010, while NightFest attracted 22,600 visitors, down from 29,500 in the previous year.
But ACT Tourism Minister Andrew Barr took an upbeat view of the figures yesterday, pointing to an event evaluation report by accounting firm Ernst and Young showing Floriade 2011 had injected a record $30million into the ACT economy from interstate and international visitors, an increase of $3million on last year.
But figures show the number of interstate visitors to Canberra solely for Floriade also dropped, from 131,000 in 2010 to 127,000 this year. As with previous years, the ACT Government blamed low attendance figures for the largely outdoor event on bad weather and Mr Barr said he had received positive community feedback about Floriade 2011, with Labour Day attendance the single highest on record.
''Floriade continues to grow on the national and international stage, providing the Canberra region with invaluable exposure to key visitor markets,'' the minister said. A spokeswoman for Mr Barr said the ACT Government spent about $3million on Floriade and $500,000 on NightFest - although this year the Government spent an additional $62,326 to maintain the exhibition for an extra four days to accommodate the Queen's visit.