A total of 1.368 million people attended the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, with the event generating an estimated $565.8 million in economic impact each year and $3.46 billion over the last decade.
The previous attendance record, set at the 2025 Australian Open, was 1.2 million.
The Victorian Government says the event is the “biggest economic generator in Australian sport”.
The first Thursday of the main draw also set a record for the highest single day attendance at the tennis tournament, with 103,956 attendees through the gates.
“The 2026 Australian Open has been a great success, smashing attendance records, filling hotels and shining the international spotlight on our city and state,” said Victoria’s tourism, sport and major events minister, Steve Dimopoulos.
“It kickstarts a jampacked pipeline of major events, which supports our visitor economy and more than 288,000 Victorian jobs.”
The state government also believes room nights sold across Melbourne hotels will set a new January record in 2026, again breaking a record set last January.
Marriott International, who is the official hotel partner for the Australian Open, has reported high occupancy during the tournament for the 10 Melbourne properties under the hotel group’s brands. In particular, Marriott reported occupancy over 90 per cent for the weekend of the finals.
Marriott also reported a four per cent rising in international visitors to its hotels, including a massive 20 per cent jump is stays by US visitors over the tournament period.
“As the world’s biggest Grand Slam and Australia’s number one sporting event, the Australian Open continues to attract both domestic and international travellers, helping drive visitation to our hotels positioned in close proximity to the action,” said Marriott International’s area vice president for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, Jason Nuell.
“This year we’ve seen an increase in international stays, accounting for almost half of bookings over this period. Led by strong growth from the US, this highlights the increasing global appeal of both the tournament and Marriott Bonvoy.”
