The Canberra Business Chamber recently hosted a breakfast event in collaboration with the City Renewal Authority titled Inner City: Opportunities for Retail, Hospitality, and Services. The event focused on helping City Centre businesses better understand how people engage with the heart of Canberra. We shared insights on how residents engage with Canberra’s City Centre, including data on visitation, spending, and perceptions of comfort, safety, and accessibility.
Consumer behaviours and spending habits have changed, and this shift has made doing business more challenging. People are coming into the City Centre, but they are approaching their visits differently. They are more thoughtful about how they spend their money and what they choose to do while they are here. These changes reflect the pressures many are feeling.
The insights provided aim to support businesses by helping them understand who is visiting the City Centre, when they are coming, what they are spending money on, and how they feel during their visit. This information can help businesses respond more effectively to changing needs and create experiences that better connect with their customers.
City Renewal's annual sentiment survey included 737 residents from Canberra and surrounding regions. The purpose of this research is to better understand how people are engaging with the City Centre and what they value in their visits.
New data from the survey showed sentiment toward the City Centre is improving:
City Centre trends identified in the City Renewal Authority's annual sentiment study.
Canberra's City Centre continues to attract a steady flow of visitors, particularly in the afternoon.
Most visitors are accompanied by someone else, with 59% visiting with a partner, friend, or childShopping and dining remain the primary reasons for visiting the City Centre. In contrast, Braddon is more commonly visited for dining and socialising, particularly in the evening. These patterns suggest that different areas within the precinct serve distinct purposes and attract different audiences.
Data from the Commonwealth Bank showed overall spend in May 2025 was slightly lower than the same period in the previous year, including:
These trends suggest that while consumers are still engaging with the City Centre, their spending habits are changing.
The above graph shows expenditure in the City Centre Marketing and Improvements Levy collection zone, the City Centre and Braddon, across the last 12 months by week, compared to the same week last year. The orange bars show the decrease in spend compared to the same week last year, green shows increase in spend compared to the same week last year. These increases in spend align with events or public Holidays and are similar to spending across the ACT.
Research also identifies six distinct consumer segments, each with unique motivations and visitation patterns.
‘Young Aspirers’ and ‘Family Stimulators’ are the most frequent visitors, while ‘Mature and Maintaining’ and ‘Family Connectors’ are more selective. Businesses that tailor their offerings to these segments will be better positioned to attract and retain customers.
City Centre consumer segments and their likelihood to visit the City Centre.
The 2024 Winter in the City campaign demonstrated the value of seasonal activations. In 2024, the campaign and program increased economic activity in City East, which we estimate as an additional $2.72 million boost to the area. Total spend in the area reached $38.6 million, including a 28% increase in visitor spend.
This year’s Winter in the City program, running until 19 July 2025, includes 15 days of free entertainment, featuring daily circus, theatre, and fire performances. It concludes with a special edition of The Forage street food festival. This follows feedback that Canberrans and visitors to the city are looking for more free experiences to enjoy.
The completely free 2025 completely free program is supported by a marketing campaign featuring local creators that will showcase city retail and hospitality businesses to encourage spending.
The City Centre is evolving, and so are the expectations of those who use it. The findings provide timely and practical insights for City Renewal to improve the visitor experience and provide a strong evidence base for businesses and property owners to help understand visitors to Canberra's City Centre and respond to emerging trends.
View the presentation shared at the business breakfast on 18 June 2025.
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We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.
