Women’s World Cup Ignites Aussie Tourism Surge, Led by U.S. Visitors

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off in Australia last week and is expected to bring a significant tourism boost to the country. Tourism Australia estimates the 35-match tournament to have an economic benefit worth $385 million.

“This tournament comes at a crucial time, with Australia’s tourism industry steadily rebuilding from the impacts of the global pandemic,” said Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison.

A billion television viewers are expected to watch the competition unfold, and the nation is predicting 55,000 international visitors.

Direct spending by international visitors is predicted to total $169 million over the month-long event.

Leading the pack of international guests are visitors from the United States, followed closely by England, Germany, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland, according to Football Australia.

“The U.S. is particularly interested in women’s football. The women’s team is going for their third consecutive win, which is very exciting. So, you’ll notice an interest in Americans coming down to watch the tournament,” said Vice President of The Americas at Tourism Australia Chris Allison.

All of Sydney’s matches will take place at Accor Stadium in Western Sydney. Stacey McBride, the Accommodation Manager for NSW, stated that the event has resulted in a drastic increase in hotel reservations within the region.

“We are seeing a high number of bookings for accommodation providers located in the vicinity of Olympic Park, and hotel capacity right across Sydney is nearing 70%, reflecting a noticeable surge in demand,” McBride said.

Tourism Australia has estimated that the competition will generate 694,000 bed nights around the country, contributing significantly to the Australian economy.

Beyond the boost in post-pandemic tourism, Australia is using this global spotlight to unveil its latest tourism campaign, ‘Holiday Highlights.’ The campaign is a television advertisement series exhibiting Australia’s key sights and attractions and is an extension of Tourism Australia’s global brand campaign ‘Come and Say G’day,’ which was launched in October last year.

“We will be running a research project on the back of this campaign and event to help us understand our impact. We’ll then use that to formulate a plan for other major events in the future leading up to the Olympics,” said Allison.

In the coming years, Australia will host the Rugby World Cup, Netball World Cup, Brisbane Olympics, and other international sports tours such as the biannual Ashes Test, Australian Open, and more.