THE number of people visiting the ACT for a holiday increased by more than 50 per cent in the March quarter of this year, according to a recent tourism survey.
And Minister for Tourism Andrew Barr believes Canberra’s Centenary celebrations are responsible for the “big boost” in numbers. 
The latest National Visitor Survey, issued by Tourism Research Australia, says domestic overnight visitation to the ACT for holiday/leisure purposes increased by 53.2 per cent in the March quarter of the Centenary year, compared to the same period last year, with 526,000 domestic overnight visitors.
The average length of stay in the ACT was 3 nights, up from 2.7 nights.
The number of people coming to Canberra to visit friends and relatives also increased, up by 30.0 per cent in the March quarter.
In the year ending March 2013, domestic overnight visitors contributed $1.18 billion to the Territory economy, with more than 2 million people visiting the Territory.
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