City of Melbourne is the local government authority for central Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs. We partner with international cities to connect with people, drive mutual economic development, encourage innovation and address global challenges such as climate change. We build Melbourne’s global competitiveness and provide opportunities for local and international businesses.
Find out why Melbourne is one of the best places in the world to visit, study, work and do business.
How City of Melbourne can help Melbourne companies
Our international connections can help you develop your business.
The City of Melbourne utilises partnerships with the Victorian and Australian governments, business organisations and international partners to advance Melbourne's business interests.
We can help you by:
- introducing you to new international business opportunities through our city partnerships and networks
- facilitating inbound visits from foreign companies interested in Melbourne businesses
- conducting outbound trade missions to showcase your business to international buyers
- showcasing Melbourne industry and company capabilities to the world
- helping companies become ready for Asian markets
- working with and supporting Melbourne’s diverse diaspora.
Contact the international team: global@melbourne.vic.gov.au
How City of Melbourne can help international companies
We can help you by:
- identifying products and services produced in Melbourne
- providing advice on doing business in Melbourne, along with insights on industry capability and business opportunities
- providing introductions to other levels of government and industry contacts.
Contact the international team: global@melbourne.vic.gov.au
Industry overviews
Explore opportunities by industry sector.
Melbourne has a sophisticated arts and creative sector, ranging from world-class films, visual and performing arts, to publishing and design. As a cultural city, we have a global reputation for diversity, energy and creativity. Being one of the 180 cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), Melbourne shares the common objective of placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of our development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
To support Melbourne’s creative economy, we:
- commit grants to artists and creatives to invest in new works and creative performances
- produce creative programs, festivals and events
- manage workshops and infrastructure for performances
- facilitate international engagement and export through global partnerships
- support knowledge acquisition and sharing through artists and creative practice exchange leveraged by city to city connections.
Melbourne is one of the leading health and life sciences centres in the world, with key strengths in stem cell research, cancer therapies, clinical trials, infectious disease research, aged care and medical devices.
Our role is to brand Melbourne as a world leader in health solutions, by:
- facilitating business to business connections
- fostering key partners
- delivering business development initiatives to support Melbourne businesses export their expertise, products or services.
Melbourne has long been a popular destination among international visitors, providing great experiences through major events, food and wine, diverse multicultural communities, artistic and cultural experiences and scenic beauty.
China has been the leading source country of inbound visitors. In 2019 Melbourne hosted 675,400 Chinese visitors and their total spend was $3.4 billion, accounting for 32.7% of total international expenditure. In the City of Melbourne, we’re finding new ways to help Chinese visitors enjoy Melbourne through innovative initiatives.
How we work with global cities on joint challenges
We collaborate with other global cities to identify solutions to shared challenges, such as tackling climate change, biodiversity action, urban resilience, sustainable buildings, affordable housing, gender equality, water security, city safety, health and waste management.
We are proud to be the first city in Australia to conduct a Voluntary Local Review of our progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
We can work with you by:
- sharing knowledge and collaborating on joint city challenges
- sharing knowledge on smart cities
- partnering with you to deliver projects of mutual interest
- providing referrals to other government and industry contacts.
Welcoming international students
We welcome students from all over the world to Melbourne.
City of Melbourne provides a range of programs, events and support for international students.
International opportunities
Related pages
Investing in Melbourne
Our team can help you unlock your business potential in Melbourne.
International students
We welcome students from all over the world to Melbourne.
Startups and innovation
Learn how we support startup businesses and innovation in our city.
Contact us
Email global@melbourne.vic.gov.au with your questions.
