International visitors and Indigenous art sales

It is not always possible to have up-to-date or current data for statistical purposes. Some Australian Bureau of Statistics surveys are conducted on a regular basis: monthly, annually or every few years. Other major data collections such as the Census of Population and Housing are of a great scale and are only conducted every five years.

Other statistical analyses, such as the Australia Council’s The Arts Economy 1968–1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000) are major one-off studies that are so far-ranging, they can only be commissioned on a periodic basis. Although at first glance it may appear dated, this analysis gives an important historic perspective on the current state of the arts in Australia.

According to The Arts Economy, in 1990, 30 per cent of international visitors to Australia purchased Indigenous art or souvenirs. Between 1990 and 1996, sales of Aboriginal art and souvenirs increased at a rate of about 11.5 per cent per year.

Estimated purchases of Aboriginal art and souvenirs by international visitors (a)

(a) All dollar amounts are calculated to 1997 values.

Source: Australia Council, The Arts Economy 1968–1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000).

In 1996, the breakdown of Indigenous art purchases by international visitors was:

• painting - 26,000
• carvings and sculpture - 51,000
• craft - 29,000
• books on Indigenous art - 12,000
• recordings of Aboriginal music - 15,000.

In total, 10 per cent of total visitors bought items in one or more of these categories.

Source

Australia Council, The Arts Economy 1968–1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000).

Link

Tourism Research Australia, Snapshot: Indigenous Tourism Visitors in Australia 2008

Tourism Research Australia, Snapshot: Cultural and Heritage Tourism in Australia 2008.

Tourism Research Australia, Sharing Culture: Indigenous Experiences and the International Visitor.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: Involvement in Arts and Culture, 2001 and 2002 (cat. no. 4721.0).

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Commercial Art Galleries 1996–97 (cat. no. 8651.0).

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Commercial Art Galleries 1999–2000 (cat. no. 8651.0).