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 With a population of around four million, Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia, after Sydney. It was founded forty-seven years after Australia was declared an English settlement. The city was officially recognised by Queen Victoria in 1837.
Melbourne is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and welcoming cities in the world. In fact, it is ranked as the third most livable city on earth in a recent survey. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the cost of living in Melbourne is much cheaper than in other large Australian cities, like Sydney. Another explanation is that it is the centre of arts, entertainment, and commerce in Australia. As a result, jobs are generally plentiful and salaries are well above the national average.
What about hotels in Melbourne?
Though it is slightly smaller than Sydney, Melbourne is the nation's top tourist city. Each year, over nine million visitors come to see the city. Of course, most of them are from Australia. But Melbourne still manages to attract around 2 million international guests per annum.
Due to the high cost of air travel and accommodation, the number of UK tourists in Melbourne fell during the global recession. Arrivals were off by nearly a third in 2009, which was in keeping with the reported declines of most Australian cities. We also know that even when they did show up, UK travellers booked shorter trips at more economical hotels.
As a result, hotels in Melbourne have had to reduce their rates by up to ten percent. In fact, many of the more luxurious resorts in the area have gone under (no pun intended) because business has declined at a record pace. Fortunately, industry insiders are predicting a modest increase in travel from the UK in the summer of 2010.
PHOTO: The Yarra River and the skyline of Melbourne city, Victoria, Australia.
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