Not only did the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ inspire women and girls across the globe, it supercharged Hamilton’s economy too.
A national economic impact evaluation shows Hamilton’s economy saw a boost of $17.3 million from the tournament, just shy of the $18 million predicted. Hamilton hosted more than 20,000 visitors for the event, who clocked up more than 15,000 visitor nights.
Spend from both domestic and international visitors delivered benefits to several industries, including accommodation, tourism, hospitality and retail. A significant boost also came from FIFA engaging local contractors to deliver the tournament in Hamilton.
Hamilton City Council’s General Manager of Venues, Tourism and Events, Sean Murray is pleased with the result.
“Hamilton has shown itself capable of hosting an international event of this scale, and now we’re seeing the positive impact this tournament has had on our city.”
Council invested $2.7 million into hosting the tournament but did not need to source additional budget to do so. $1.6 million was spent on infrastructure upgrades that were already planned but brought forward to accommodate the tournament. The remainder of the costs were fully recovered by revenue generated
directly by Council from the event.
“The beauty is, now we have these world-class facilities, earlier than planned, for our community to enjoy. Floodlighting in our sports parks and other upgrades mean we are well placed to host another major sporting event, should one come our way” Murray said.
Beyond the economic gains, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ delivered a swathe of non-monetary benefits for the city too. A post-event survey showed that 98% of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience at the Hamilton games. 90% of Hamilton attendees surveyed thought that hosting the tournament increased their pride in Hamilton, and 91% thought it made the city a more enjoyable place to live.
Additionally, the international media coverage of Hamilton throughout the tournament is estimated to be worth $1.4 million, which represents the expected value of future tourism in the city due to the media exposure.
Mayor Paula Southgate said these benefits cannot be overlooked.
“We worked really hard in partnership with the other hosting centres in New Zealand and Australia to attract FIFA to Australasia, and we won the bid. Not only was the event in Hamilton hugely successful, it attracted people from all around New Zealand and the world, putting Hamilton squarely on the map.”
FIFA also acknowledged Hamilton’s top class hosting and facilities. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM Impact Evaluation was conducted by independent research agency, Fresh Info.
Read the full report below.