Weekend and After-Hours Visitors Surge in Australia’s City Centres

Nightlife and weekend events have led to a surge in visitors to Australian CBDs in the past 12 months, helping counter lower levels of workers, according to new data released by the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).  

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said the total number of people in CBDs across Australia has increased significantly since last year in all five capital cities measured, with weekend visitors well above pre-pandemic levels, considerably outperforming weekdays.

The latest DSpark report, commissioned by TTF, analysed anonymised and aggregated mobility data to examine the movement of the Australian adult population across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth CBDs.  

“It’s fantastic to see CBDs across Australia are coming alive on weekends and after hours with more people exploring their city’s offerings than they were a year ago, whether to catch up with friends or family or attend an arts or cultural event,” Ms Osmond said.

“This shows how important it is to keep investing in our hospitality, arts and entertainment sectors and continue to support concerts, festivals and other large events, which are increasingly the main driver of visitors to our city centres.”

The report found the number of CBD workers in April 2024 was still well below pre-pandemic levels nationally, despite rising in the past year.  

“While more CBD workers are back in the office compared with this time last year, some level of working from home has cemented itself as the new normal. The pandemic is well and truly behind us and yet hybrid work arrangements look here to stay,” Ms Osmond said.  

“With fewer workers supporting CBD businesses during the weekdays, the value of visitors has never been more important.”  

“We need to focus on attracting visitors on both weekends and weekdays, to help maintain a vibrant urban landscape so our city centres and local businesses can continue to thrive.” 

SYDNEY 

• Total visitation to Sydney’s CBD (including visitors and workers) was at 85% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 77% in April 2023. 
• Sydney CBD workers were at 73% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 64% in April 2023. 
• Weekend visits to Sydney’s CBD were at 115% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, while weekday visits were at 86% of pre-Covid levels. 
• Weekend evenings have recovered the most, with 6pm to midnight on weekends at 119% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024. 
• Sydney has recovered more than any other Australian city for weekend visitors but is the second-least recovered city for CBD workers, behind Melbourne. 

MELBOURNE 

• Total visitation to Melbourne’s CBD (including visitors and workers) was at 84% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 78% in April 2023. 
• Melbourne CBD workers were at 70% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 65% in April 2023. 
• Weekend visits to Melbourne’s CBD were at 112% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, while weekday visits were at 81% of pre-Covid levels. 
• Weekend evenings have recovered the most, with 6pm to midnight on weekends at 126% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024. 
• Melbourne’s CBD weekend visitor rates are among the highest of all capital cities. However, it is the least recovered nationally for workers and total visitation. 

BRISBANE 

• Total visitation to Brisbane’s CBD (including visitors and workers) was at 90% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 86% in April 2023. 
• Brisbane CBD workers were at 80% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 74% of pre-Covid levels in April 2023. 
• Weekend visits to Brisbane’s CBD were at 96% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, while weekday visits were at 92% of pre-Covid levels. 
• Evenings have recovered the most, with visits between 6pm - midnight on weekends at 98% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024. While visits between 6pm - midnight on weekdays were at 97% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024. 
• Brisbane’s CBD has recovered more than Melbourne and Sydney on every measure, except for weekend visitors, which remain slightly below pre-Covid levels. 

ADELAIDE 

• Total visitation to Adelaide’s CBD (including visitors and workers) was at 101% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 94% in April 2023. 
• Adelaide CBD workers were at 88% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 82% of pre-Covid levels in April 2023. 
• Weekend visits to Adelaide’s CBD were at 108% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, while weekday visits were at 95% of pre-Covid levels. 
• Evenings have recovered the most, with visits between 6pm - midnight on weekends at 121% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024. Visits between 6pm - midnight on weekdays were at 109% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024. 
• Adelaide’s CBD is the second most recovered city centre behind Perth, with total visitation returning to pre-Covid levels. There are more visitors on weekends and afterhours than before the pandemic. 

PERTH  

• Total visitation to Perth’s CBD (including visitors and workers) was at 102% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 97% in April 2023.  
• Perth CBD workers were at 91% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, rising from 87% of pre-Covid levels in April 2023.  
• Weekend visits to Perth’s CBD were at 110% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, while weekday visits were at 97% of pre-Covid levels.  
• Weekend evenings have recovered the most, with visits between 6pm - midnight at 119% of pre-Covid levels in April 2024.  
• Perth’s CBD is the most recovered of any capital city, with the highest rates of workers back in the office and weekend visitors well above pre-Covid levels.