The Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) has welcomed the announcement that the new Melbourne Convention Centre will be operational by 2009.

"The decision by the Government to build the Centre in 2004, followed by today’s announcement of a winning bidder, will lock down convention bookings for Melbourne and will restore Melbourne to its rightful place as Australia’s number one conference and convention destination", says VTIC Chairman, Jeremy Johnson.

"The new Centre will also underpin Melbourne’s reputation as a leader in events-based tourism.

"VTIC has been calling for a new Convention Centre for Melbourne for a number of years, concerned at the fact that the current Melbourne Convention Centre is 15 years old. When built, it had the third largest capacity in the country behind Adelaide - it now has the seventh largest capacity behind Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Cairns.

"The announcement is also timely given some current challenges to the tourism industry in Victoria. Victoria is the third most popular destination for short-term overseas visitors, and is the intended State of stay for 17 per cent of visitors, behind New South Wales at 39 per cent and Queensland at 29 per cent. Victoria’s share of international short-term visitors in 2005 was down on the previous year (when a share of 18.5 per cent was recorded), but on par with figures from 2003", says Mr Johnson.

Background - what is VTIC

The Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) is the peak policy council for the Victorian Tourism Industry. Jeremy Johnson Chairs the Council, which represents key industry associations and operators, providing one united industry voice.