Hotels and hospitality businesses in New South Wales are set to benefit from the elevated status of the Sydney Marathon, which was this week added to the elite Abbott World Marathon Majors series.
Sydney is the seventh city in the world, and the first in the southern hemisphere, to qualify for the series which includes marathons in Boston, Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago, London and New York City.
According to Destination NSW, the marathon will add an extra $73 million in visitor expenditure to the NSW economy over the next three years.
“NSW is an unbeatable hotspot for tourists across the globe, and the marathon and its supporters will bring a massive boost to the local economy,” said New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns.
“We can’t wait to show our beautiful city off to tens of thousands of runners from around the world.”
Accommodation Australia NSW General Manager Stacey McBride said major events are essential in bringing much-needed tourists back into the CBD.
“Events consistently increase occupancy rates at hotels, we saw it with concerts like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift and we saw it with events like World Pride and The Women’s FIFA World Cup,” said McBride.
“Destination NSW estimates an extra $73 million will be spent by tourists over the next three years as a result of the marathon announcement, and that could grow to as much as $300 million over 10 years.
“The NSW visitor economy and accommodation hotels will be some of the main beneficiaries.”