Published on : Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Late night trading in Melbourne’s central shopping precinct will add life and vibrancy to the CBD, encouraging visitors to stay longer and spend more, according to peak national industry body Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle today announced that from 22 April, all retailers in and around Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central, Melbourne’s GPO and the new Emporium Melbourne will trade until at least 7pm every night.
TTF Chief Executive Ken Morrison said this move will build on Melbourne’s great reputation as a vibrant global city.
“Late-night retail will be great for tourists and great for the economy,” said Mr Morrison.
“A more vibrant CBD in the evening will mean visitors stay longer and spend more.
“Our cities are major drawcards for international visitors and it’s vital that Melbourne has an energetic night-time economy which offers visitors a range of entertainment, dining and retail options.
“Tourism contributes $15.9 billion to the Victorian economy, provides 204,000 jobs and is the state’s second largest export.
“A dynamic, late-night city will increase tourism’s contribution to the state and help Victoria reach its goal of growing overnight tourism expenditure to $24.7 billion by 2020.”
Today’s announcement coincides with new figures that show Melbourne’s CBD population has more than doubled in the past nine years from 12,700 to 29,300, with 5400 new residents moving in over the past year alone.
“New measures, like late-night retail, will help support this growing inner city population by providing more services beyond traditional hours as well as spreading out public transport demand beyond peak hour,” said Mr Morrison.
“Late-night trading will improve the CBD atmosphere into the evening, encouraging visitors to stay longer and spend more during their visit.”
Source:- TTF
Tags: TTF
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