Women’s soccer delivered essential Aussie tourism boost
Op-Ed: But what does this tell us when it comes to capturing the attention of travellers?
Australia was back in the global spotlight last month, with all eyes on women’s soccer. In fact, broadcast ratings have shown us that the Aussie team can pull more viewers than every other sporting code.
But what does this tell us when it comes to capturing the attention of travellers? And can women’s sport not only lure in millions of viewers but also serve as a catalyst for both tourism and economic growth?
Well, Expedia Group crunched the numbers, and the answer is: yes.
Our latest data tells us that international searches for travel to Australia more than doubled (130 percent week on week[2]) between May and July this year, with Sydney scoring the first goal in highest demand. Maybe it’s because the New South Wales capital hosted the most games, or maybe just purely the allure of Sydney’s iconic landmarks, but it’s exciting to see 60 percent of international searches setting their sights on the city.
This significant interest can mainly be attributed to travellers from the United States, who emerged as the clear frontrunner and accounted for 25 percent of all international searches. Travellers from the Asia-Pacific region also exhibited interest, with searches for Sydney soaring in South Korea (10 percent), Japan (10 percent), New Zealand (10 percent), and Hong Kong (5 percent).
Other Australian cities – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth – also managed to seize the spotlight, garnering the curiosity of travellers from Canada and Singapore, in addition to the above.
But it’s not all about international travellers; domestic interest during the three-month period actually accounted for 70 percent of total interest and showed a remarkable week-on-week increase of 155 percent.
So, what does this actually mean for local hoteliers, and how can they take advantage of this pending surge?
Well, the heightened visibility created by major sporting events presents a unique opportunity for travel providers to maximise their revenue – they just need to leverage the right data and technology to do so.
Hoteliers can use data to gain invaluable personalised and curated insights about what marketing propositions are and are not converting travellers, and property analysis tools to help inform real-time pricing insight against direct competitors and stay ahead of the curve.
Right now is the time for Australian hoteliers to take advantage of the technology available to them – to market to, engage with and capitalise on this pending surge.
[2] Based on Expedia Group search data for the period of 2023-05-01 to 2023-07-31.
Michael is leading the team who manages Expedia Group’s lodging inventory across Asia Pacific. In this role, he works with lodging supply partners to maximize their success and potential on the Expedia Group platform and stay ahead of digital innovation. He also works with peers across Expedia Group to create great traveller experiences and be an advocate for the APAC region. Michael joined Expedia Group in 2015 as Representative Director. In his seven-year tenure with the company, he has built a unique B2B knowledge that can benefit all supply partners as they charter the complexities of the travel ecosystem. Prior to joining Expedia Group, Michael worked at Microsoft where his last role was Director of Corporate Accounts.
Michael holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from M.I.T. He was born in Okinawa (Japan) and raised in the U.S. from the age of 7.
