Aus Open serves up record economic benefit
This year’s January Grand Slam has generated a record economic boost for Melbourne, with visitors spending an average of almost $250 per day.
Victoria
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This year’s history making Australian Open has served up a record $565.8m in economic benefit to Victoria.
New research to be revealed by Tennis Australia on Monday reveals the January Grand Slam generated $424.4m in direct spending for the Melbourne economy alone.
The study, by consultants IER Pty Ltd, found the iconic Victorian event poured $32.6m more in gross economic stimulus to the state than last year.
It pushed the economic benefits of the tournament over the past 10 years to more than $3.46 billion.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said the results were fuelled by huge numbers of fans descending on Melbourne Park for the event and experiencing the city before and after matches.
“The Australian Open remains a major economic driver for Victoria, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans from across Australia and around the world,’’ he said.
“We’re proud to see the tournament growing not just in attendance and global reach, but in the direct impact it has on local jobs and businesses.”
Visitors to AO25 booked 442,887 nights in Victorian hotels, with the average daily spend$243.92 per visitor.
Almost 63 per cent of Australian Open attendees were from Melbourne, 19 per cent from interstate, 10.3 per cent intrastate and eight per cent overseas.
The research found the summer of tennis, including the AO Opening Week presented by the Herald Sun, generated a total expenditure stimulus of more than $623m Australia-wide.
It comes after this year’s Open smashed previous attendance records with more than 1.2m fans
attending three-weeks of the event including 116,528 people at AO Opening Week.
Mr Tiley said: “This is more than just a tennis tournament – it’s a world-class event that drives tourism, boosts hospitality, and showcases Melbourne as a premier destination.”
The report also found the Open created 2722 full time jobs – the highest figure
on record and 15.7 per cent more than last year.
Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos said: “The Australian Open is a global event like no other – drawing visitors from across the world to the heart of Melbourne and reinforcing Victoria’s reputation as the sporting and major events capital of Australia.”
Originally published as Aus Open serves up record economic benefit
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