In 2012-13, domestic visitors to the territory rose 9 per cent, more than triple the national figure of 2.6 per cent, according to new Tourism Research Australia figures.

The result is Canberra's best since 2004 and follows the release of figures last week showing international visits to the capital are at their highest since the 2000 Olympics.

The survey, published on Wednesday, shows that there were 2,049,000 domestic overnight visitors to Canberra in the past year, up from 1,879,000 the previous year.

Tourism Minister Andrew Barr said domestic tourists had injected $1.2 billion into the ACT economy in 2012-13.

Visiting friends and relatives was the most popular reason to travel to the capital, with a 38 per cent share of the domestic tourism market. That was followed by business tourism at 29 per cent and holidaymakers at 27 per cent.

"Major events in Canberra have provided many compelling reasons to visit in recent months," Mr Barr said. Drawcards have included the National Gallery of Australia's Toulouse-Lautrec blockbuster exhibition, Enlighten, sporting events such as the one-day cricket international and Canberra's centenary birthday bash, he said.