Influx of British and Irish Lions fans will be ‘massive for Melbourne’

Rugby fans are descending on the city for the British and Irish Lions tour in what's been described as “a huge win for our bars, restaurants and hotels”.

A red army of rugby fans is set to pour more than $90m into the Victorian economy as the British and Irish Lions become the mane event in Melbourne this week.

A pride of more than 40,000 fans is expected to visit Melbourne for a two match series, with hotels packed and pubs pumping for the team’s first visit down under in 12 years.

More than 40,000 British and Irish Lions fans are set to visit Melbourne. Picture: AFP

They are tipped to make more than 180,000 pub visits and guzzle 445,000 pints or 253,000 litres of Guinness alone at bars, pubs and restaurants across the city in the lead-up to and during the tour.

Acting Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Gayle Tierney said Melbourne was “set to roar’’.

“This is a huge win for our bars, restaurants and hotels – and a reminder that when Victoria hosts major events, the whole state benefits,’’ she said.

Rugby fans in Caxton St, Brisbane before the first game of the tour. Picture: John Gass

Guinness has stocked Melbourne to the tilt with its iconic stout, expecting 300,000 pints to be poured in pubs and restaurants and an extra 150,000 sold at bottle shops, the MCG and Marvel Stadium this week.

With Lions fans spending an average of two hours at Melbourne pubs for each visit, the Australian Hoteliers Association estimate they will prop up bars the equivalent of 60,000 hours, 15,000 days or 41 years while in town.

Kingsville’s Barbarian Brewery is one of many hotels adopting a British theme, with publican Pete Raine brewing an English style “Lions Lager” and Irish stout for the occasion.

Clay Smith, Zoe Raine, Pete Raine, Alfie and Macy at Barbarian Brewery in Kingsville Picture: Brendan Beckett

“For a lot of fans who come over this is bucket list material, they save up for years and it’s the trip of a lifetime for them all,’’ he said.

Elephant and Wheelbarrow publican Mark O’Reilly said Lions’ matches had similar pull power to the AFL Grand Final or FIFA World Cup.

“It’s massive for Melbourne,’’ he said.

Melbourne’s hotel occupancy for July 21–27 is at least 71 per cent full, up 15 per cent from the same time last year.

Hotel rooms for Saturday’s Lions-Wallabies MCG Test will be at least 89 per cent capacity, significantly higher than the Saturday prior (73 per cent).

The Lions tour is expected to bolster the national economy by $200m but with Melbourne the only Aussie city hosting two matches almost half that money is tipped to stay in Victoria.

And if the MCG Test attracts more than 84,189 fans, it will set a new all-time attendance record for a British and Irish Lions rugby match.

The game at the MCG could be a record crowd. Picture: Getty

Visit Victoria chief executive Brendan McClements said: “It also gives us the chance to showcase everything Melbourne has to offer to a huge audience watching on around the world.’’

While Lions fans will paint the town red, the green and gold army will also fly the flag for Australia as Wallabies fans fly in from interstate.

A free “Wallabies Paddock” outdoor site will open in Yarra Park outside the MCG on Saturday, with pre-game entertainment, food and drinks and question and past and present player appearances.