A new survey published by Dublin Chamber of Commerce has revealed that fans travelling to the England Vs Ireland RBS 6 Nations match at the Aviva Stadium this March spent €11.5 million in and around Dublin.
The independent research conducted by UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School estimates that the total multiplied impact of this spending including Government recycling of tax revenues accruing from it was €21.3 million and the Chamber has used the findings to call for more major sporting events and festivals to be pushed towards Dublin.
It is interesting to look at the amount spent per visitor but also to note that the figure has fallen since a similar survey was conducted in 2010.
In that year the findings were that the spend from visitors to a 6 Nations match was €882 but this year it was down to €764, a fall of a little over 13%. That could be because of better value in the accommodation and food sector but no explanation is given in the figures. Maybe England fans spend less…
The breakdown of how the money is spent is also interesting with main areas of expenditure broken down as follows:
- €2.9 million on pre booked hotels and restaurants;
- €2.2 million on alcohol;
- €1.9 million on travel to Ireland for the game;
- €1.7 million on match tickets
- €1.3 million on other food
- €1.5 million on other ‘out of pocket’ spending including taxis, souvenirs and shopping
“The findings of our study show the value of hosting large sporting events to the economy,” said Dublin Chamber CEO Gina Quin.
“If one match between Ireland and England is worth €21.3m, this offers an indications of how much the country could benefit from staging future events such as the 2023 Rugby World Cup and European Soccer Championship matches in 2020.”
“Big sporting events do wonders for the Irish brand and help to put Dublin and Ireland in the shop window for tourists around the world. The country’s hospitality sector relies on major events and a strong events programme is key to growing tourism numbers.”
The beauty of Sport is that it takes place on a pre-determined and continually repeating cycle. There are always Rugby internationals in the spring and the autumn. There are always four All Ireland finals in September. There is now an established cycle of attracting College Football games from the US every two years. There is always an Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, Punchestown and the Champions Weekend at Leopardstown. There is always a Dublin City Marathon and a Killarney Adventure race.
These are major contributors to the irish economy, the hotel and restaurant sector and hundreds of businesses that rely on the income but are rarely called on to invest or contribute in bringing events to this island.
Sport for Business has been one of a number of voices calling for a more integrated approach to bidding for major events either on a one off or a continual basis.
The FAI Bid with Dublin City Council to host Euro 2020 was a winner because it was effectively and efficiently put together drawing in numerous stakeholders. The IRFU’s bid to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup was similarly inclusive and the biggest of the all, the bid to host the Rugby World Cup in Ireland in 2023 has started off from exactly the right position of bringing together the parties who can make a difference.
Together we clearly have an understanding of how this can be done. There is though perhaps a need to do it on a more consistent basis and to create a template of partnerships that can be called upon to play a part in attracting events that will make a real difference to what we can achieve as a ‘sporting playground’ for major events.
Image Credit: Inpho.ie
