On July 12, the night of the match at Adelaide Oval, hotel occupancy across Adelaide’s greater metropolitan area was 10,752 rooms – a 95 per cent occupancy.
There was also high occupancy the night before the match, with 10,385 rooms occupied.
The match helped the city trump its previous occupancy record, also set this year, during the Easter long weekend, when 10,673 rooms were occupied, showing the potential for events to deliver, at times, better results than holiday periods.
“The British & Irish Lions match was a week to remember for the Crowne Plaza Adelaide, with fans from all over the country and world filling our hotel rooms and creating an electric atmosphere,” said general manager of Crowne Plaza Adelaide, Robert Coates.
“Events are so important for our industry, as they entice visitors to make the most of their trip by staying in the city for a few extra nights to enjoy everything we have to offer.
“When the whole city gets behind these major events like we did for the rugby, visitors become advocates for us, telling their friends and family about their great experiences and driving repeat visitation.”
The two July nights delivered a combined revenue for hotels of $7.1 million, although the new record occupancy didn’t deliver the city’s highest ever hotel revenue – at $3.9 million for the Saturday night, this was the fifth highest single-night revenue figure.
More than 43,100 people attended the Lions versus ANZ rugby match in Adelaide, including an estimated 15,000 international visitors.
“A sea of red and yellow filled the city over the match weekend, so this record-breaking hotel occupancy will be no surprise to anyone who was part of the action,” said South Australia’s acting tourism minister, Clare Scriven.
“Filled hotels translates to visitors staying longer in our city, dining at our restaurants, having a drink in our bars and pubs, as well as shopping in our boutiques and taking part in tourism experiences across the weekend.
“These benefits to our tourism and hospitality industry are exactly why we continue to back major events like the British & Irish Lions match at Adelaide Oval all year round.”
Business Events Adelaide’s CEO, Damien Kitto, told micenet last year that large public events give business events in the city a helping hand by building a positive perception of Adelaide amongst those who travel to attend major events.
“The major events calendar for the city and the state as a whole just increases the whole profile of branding and understanding of who Adelaide and South Australia is and that’s been the rise of Adelaide over the last five to ten years,” said Kitto.
While the British and Irish Lions tour comes to Australia every 12 years, the Lions have not played in Adelaide in more than 130 years.
