Victoria’s major events delivered an almost A$1bn (£545m/€618m/$666m ) boost to the Australian state’s economy in the second half of 2022.
Across 2022, a record year of major events attracted 6.9 million attendees to sports, music, arts and cultural events in Victoria.
A packed schedule of events last year also saw hotels boasting an occupancy average of 67%, peaking at 93.7% on the night of a Billy Joel concert. English Premier League team Manchester United also attracted 150,000 people across two matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in July.
New Zealand and Australian rugby fans also filled out Marvel Stadium for the sold-out return of the Bledisloe Cup.
The world-first Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, The Picasso Century, also saw hundreds of thousands of people visit the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria). The latest exhibition, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse is continuing to draw crowds.
Major music event Always Live saw more than 60 acts play across large and small venues in Victoria. The town of Mildura hosted a Kings of Leon concert in front of more than 10,000 fans, while Billy Joel entertained 76,000 at the MCG.
Australia hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium and the MCG utilised by organisers. Over 90,000 fans filled up the MCG to watch India v Pakistan. The state’s golf courses also hosted the first combined men’s and women’s Australian Open golf tournament in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
The busy six-month schedule generated over A$980m in economic impact and the latest figures show the visitor economy in Victoria has reached A$26.5bn and is back to 84% of pre-pandemic levels.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos, said: “Victoria is the home of major events and these blockbuster sporting and cultural events have delivered an almost billion-dollar boost to our economy in the last half of 2022.
“Major events deliver enormous value for Victoria by boosting local businesses and supporting jobs – and we’re set for another huge year in 2023.”