Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co) has today released findings from a new economic impact report that confirms Melbourne’s celebrated arts precinct as one of the most significant contributors to the Victorian economy.  

The report by SGS Economics and Planning finds the Melbourne Arts Precinct contributed a staggering $591 million to the Victorian economy in 2025, placing it among the state’s most significant economic drivers.  

Home to over 30 leading arts organisations within a compact radius of half a kilometre on the Southern end of the CBD, our arts precinct is a defining feature of Melbourne’s identity as Australia’s Cultural Capital. The report measures the collective economic impact of these organisations for the first time, revealing extraordinary statistics.   

In 2025, the precinct welcomed an astonishing 19.3 million visitors who attended over 5,500 events and exhibitions. Along with providing millions of visitors with free experiences – ensuring arts and culture is accessible for everyone – the Melbourne Arts Precinct generated 2.3 million ticket sales, spending of over $245 million and supported more than 1,700 full-time jobs in 2025.   

Through 70 years of strategic Victorian Government investment, supported by local government, the education sector and philanthropic and community support, our iconic arts quarter has built the greatest concentration of arts and cultural venues anywhere in the world.  

The report’s data demonstrates the vital role the arts precinct plays as an economic driver for the visitor economy, alongside its benefits in developing, championing and showcasing artistic and cultural expression, fostering social harmony and bringing diverse communities together. Additionally, the Melbourne Arts Precinct is a site for creative learning for thousands of young people with specialist secondary and tertiary campuses delivering experience and training.  

The impact of the Melbourne Arts Precinct is set to grow rapidly as a result of the Victorian Government’s $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation. This transformation will deliver The Fox: NGV Contemporary; significant upgrades to Arts Centre Melbourne’s Theatres Building; and a new 18,000 square metre urban garden, Laak Boorndap. This once-in-a-generation project will expand the precinct’s arts, cultural and dining offering, while introducing expansive green space and a new major landmark for Australia.  

Beyond its cultural significance, the Melbourne Arts Precinct will be further strengthened by this historic transformation and will remain a powerful engine delivering enduring economic and societal value for Victorians.  

Commissioned by MAP Co on behalf of the precinct, data was collated from the precinct’s creative organisations including ACMI,  Arts Centre Melbourne, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Buxton Contemporary, Chunky Move, Fed Square, Koorie Heritage Trust, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, NGV, Opera Australia, Royal Botanic Gardens, Shrine of Remembrance, The Australian Ballet, The Australian Ballet School, The Boyd School Studios and the University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (including the Victorian College of Arts).   

Minister for Creative Industries Vicki Ward said: "There are so many benefits to having a creative and economic hub like this. So many creative disciplines working together to create an amazing precinct that generates enormous value for our state, both culturally and economically." “This is why our investment in the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation is so important - it’s an investment in the cultural and economic future of Victoria.” 

 MAP Co Director & CEO Katrina Sedgwick said: “The Melbourne Arts Precinct is an economic powerhouse for the state and uniquely Melbourne. Its success demonstrates the benefit of decades of visionary investment in cultural infrastructure and vibrant arts organisations which together have delivered profound dividends for the economy and identity of Melbourne, and Victoria.  It is clear creativity must be celebrated as an economic asset for the nation.”  

 

Photo: Dan Powell

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