The Australian state of Victoria has reported that major events delivered an almost A$1 billion (€619,000) boost to its economy in the second half of 2022.

The year saw a record 6.9 million attendees at sporting, music, arts and cultural events across the state, with hotel occupancy averaging 67% in H2 ’22, peaking at at 93.7% on the evening of Billy Joel’s 10 December concert.

Promoted by Frontier Touring, the one-night-only show at Melbourne’s MCG was attended by more than 76,000 fans and formed part of Always Live, an initiative envisioned by the late Michael Gudinski to revitalise Victoria’s live music scene. Gudinski, one of the best-known and most-loved figures in the concert business down under, passed away in 2021.

“SPORTING AND CULTURAL EVENTS HAVE DELIVERED AN ALMOST BILLION-DOLLAR BOOST TO OUR ECONOMY IN THE LAST HALF OF 2022”

“Victoria is the home of major events and these blockbuster sporting and cultural events have delivered an almost billion-dollar boost to our economy in the last half of 2022,” says minister for tourism, sport and major events Steve Dimopoulos. “Major events deliver enormous value for Victoria by boosting local businesses and supporting jobs – and we’re set for another huge year in 2023.”

Always Live was intended to bring music fans into Melbourne and regional Victoria and help to support local jobs and tourism businesses. The event series featured more than 60 acts such as Foo Fighters playing at venues large and small across Victoria including – in a first for the town, a Kings of Leon concert at Mildura Sporting Precinct, which attracted in excess of 10,000 fans.

The six months of events generated over $980 million in economic impact, with the latest figures showing the visitor economy in Victoria has reached $26.5bn and is back to 84% of pre-pandemic levels.

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