Melbourne VIC, Australia, 9 October 2018 | Tennis Australia

Australian Open 2018 delivered record economic benefits to Victoria and tennis participation around Australia.

“While the Australian Open injected $293.2 million into the state’s economy more than half a million kids took part in ANZ Tennis Hot Shots across the country, with many no doubt inspired by the exploits of their tennis heroes,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.

“The incredible growth of the Australian Open every year is a testament to the fans who travel from across the country and around the world just to be a part of this great event.”

Of the record breaking 743,667 attendees, 49 per cent were from beyond Melbourne and 12 per cent from overseas.

Visitors stayed an average 4.32 nights in the city and spent an average of $214 per day. Three-quarters of all visitors surveyed said that they would happily recommend others to visit Victoria as a result of their stay.

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More than 99 per cent of all Victorian residents surveyed said that it is either very important or important for Victoria to host the Australian Open each year.

“Our record-breaking events saw more than one million fans flock to see the world’s best players compete at Australian Open and AO Series events last summer.

“World-class tournaments such as the Australian Open not only inspire the tennis community at every level, but they also help grow the game in a very real and positive sense as we invest every cent back into the sport,” Tiley said.

“Around the country, more people are enjoying the sport than ever. The 930,000-plus total participants who experienced tennis throughout Australia in 2017-2018 represented a 34 per cent increase on the previous year.

“Increasingly, a lifelong connection to tennis begins with ANZ Tennis Hot Shots which saw a 41 per cent increase with 543,850 participants this year. At a time when providing healthy activity for young people is a priority, opportunities to participate have never been stronger,” Tiley continued.

Victorian Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events John Eren said, “The Australian Open has grown into a truly iconic event and one of the world’s great sporting tournaments. It not only brings the world’s best tennis players to Melbourne, it brings in visitors that support our local businesses and local economy.”

Key economic benefits

  • In 2018, $293.2 million Real Gross State Product was generated by the Australian Open, up from $278.1 million in 2016
  • The economic benefit of the Australian Open for the past 10 years is equivalent to $2.3 billion

Tourism facts

  • 51 per cent of attendees were local with 37 per cent from intrastate and interstate and 12 percent from overseas
  • 478,037 bed nights, with an average stay of 4.32 nights per visitor
  • Average daily spend per person was $214

Key perception benefits to Victoria

  • More than 99 per cent of Victorian residents surveyed say it is important for Victoria to host the Australian Open each year
  • 84 per cent of Victorian residents agree that having the AO in Melbourne makes them proud to be from Victoria
  • 72 per cent of all attendees rate their AO 2018 experience better than any other events attended in the previous year
  • 75 per cent of domestic and international visitors who were surveyed would happily recommend others to visit the state
  • 89.91 per cent of visitors would recommend others to visit Victoria
  • 50 per cent of all overseas and interstate visitors said that their overall experience at AO 2018 positively changed their perception of Victoria

Attendance

  • In 2018, a record 743,667 fans shared in the excitement of the Australian Open, smashing the previous attendance record of 728,763 set in 2017
  • For the second time in the tournament’s history, attendance in the first week surpassed half a million fans with 505,443
  • Coopers Saturday on the middle weekend of the tournament was the busiest of any day/night in tournament history, with 87,438 fans on site
  • A total of 16,129 attended the sixth annual Kids Tennis Day
  • More than 55,000 fans attended the free AO Festival at Birrarung Marr
  • 6.82 million people have attended the Australian Open over the last 10 years

Australian tennis participants (2017-18)In

  • 543,850 ANZ Tennis Hot Shots participants
  • 372,590 club members
  • 932,586 total participants which is 34 percent increase year-on-year

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots

  • ANZ Tennis Hot Shots hit a record level of participation in 2017-18 with 543,850 children aged between three and 12 taking part in Tennis Australia’s official development program
  • This is a 41 per cent increase year-on-year
  • The program has a gender split of 44 per cent girls and 56 per cent boys
  • There are currently 574 ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Match Play venues in Australia and 14,412 participants

Schools

  • Tennis continues to be one of the top three sports delivered as part of the Australian Sport Commission Sporting Schools initiative
  • 450,548 Primary School students at 2730 schools around Australia took part in ANZ Tennis Hot Shots
  • Tennis for Secondary Schools was launched in 2018 and 117 schools now deliver the program
  • 110,000racquets have been delivered to first-year primary school students since January 2015 thanks to ANZ – 30,000 of which will be distributed by the end of 2018

Coaches/Deliverers

  • 2962 Tennis Australia Coach Members
  • 942 ANZ Tennis Hot Shots deliverers
  • 712 FitBit Cardio Tennis deliverers
  • 173 coach education workshops were delivered to 2,644 participants
  • 64 coaching courses were delivered to 759 participants
  • 52 female coaches received Women in Coaching scholarships
  • 106 females attended five Community coaching courses designed to engage more females in coaching roles

Book-a-Court

  • An innovative online booking and payment program to make courts more accessible continues to grow
  • There are now 159 committed venues nationwide that will provide access to 1111 courts
  • The online system opened up access to 10,689 unique casual players during 2017-2018
  • Venues received a total of 70,733 bookings generating $439,403 in online payments at 100 live venues

Free Tennis Days

  • 346 Free Tennis Days which give new and current participants opportunities to get involved in clubs across the country – an increase of 9 percenton last year.

Social return on investment

  • Every dollar invested in to community tennis delivers up to $5.16 in economic, health and social outcomes in communities
  • Investment in tennis delivers far beyond infrastructure and participation outcomes to provide lasting positive impacts on local communities
  • The benefits include: Increased productivity at work and home; Improved health status of participants; Enhanced social capital in communities
  • Playing tennis reduces your chance of cardiovascular death by 59 per cent 

#Open4All

  • 40 per cent of all tennis participants are women
  • 4.1% of tennis participants are aged over 55 and 3.5 percent are older than 65
  • Tennis participants are culturally diverse – 18 percent of the tennis population speaks a language other than English