Australia and New Zealand successfully bidding for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is a ray of light for hoteliers going through the “worst period in living memory,” says Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO, Michael Johnson.
Despite still being three years away, the announcement that the tournament will take place in Australia and New Zealand will deliver hope, optimism and a ray of light that better times are coming, said Johnson. Thousands of visitors from all over the world will converge on cities across both countries for the event, which was most recently held last year in France and won the fourth time by the United States of America.
The event is scheduled currently to take place between 10 July and 10 August, 2023, with matches to be played in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle and Launceston. Five cities in New Zealand – Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Hamilton – will also host games.
Johnson said the announcement was fantastic for women’s sport and for the accommodation industry as a whole, with the industry currently withstanding a “triple hit” in the effects of drought, bushfires and now COVID-19.
“These huge international events are exactly the type of financial kick our industry needs to claw our way back to a strong position,” he said.
According to the successful bid documents, an estimated 1.5 million fans will attend at least one match in the tournament for an average crowd of 24,000 spectators. Football Federation Australia will reap AUD$250 million in direct revenue from the event, across ticket sales, hospitality and broadcast arrangements, with the overall benefit to the economy expected to double that.