From Gather Round, to Supercars, from the Lions tour to Origin, big sports events generate big money in Adelaide. Fortunately for us, the South Australian Government is fairly forthright with its projections and expectiations, and we’ve been able to put together a fairly good comparison based on their data.

The SA Government spends a lot of money attracting events – and shows no sign of stopping – and the figures below might demonstrate why.

Some 2024 event highlights:

Santos Tour Down Under generated $87.2 million in attendee spend while creating 490 FTE jobs,
AFL Gather Round 2024 contributed $91.6 million and supported 655 FTE jobs,
LIV Golf Adelaide contributed $71.1 million – up 10 per cent on 2023,

Adelaide Oval

An Economic Research Consultants study in 2014 revealed that Adelaide Oval provided the State with an economic benefit of $170 million in 2014 and an associated gross regional value of a further $74.5 million. This total of $244.5 million grew to well over $330 million in 2015 off the back of the ICC Cricket World Cup which alone generated approximately $90 million in direct spending.

According to the Adelaide Oval SMA in 2019, The State Government is benefiting because it invested in an asset that, at last estimate, is generating in excess of $330 million every year in economic stimulus for the State and has created more than 1,000 jobs while not exposing the Government to the ongoing costs of operations, maintenance or improvement;

Gather Round

The Friday night of AFL Gather Round 2025, 11 April, was the strongest night ever for hotel rooms occupied and revenue across greater metropolitan Adelaide, with 10,669 rooms occupied, generating revenue of $4.8 million.

Data by STR, a global leader in hospitality data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights, shows the Thursday to Saturday night of AFL Gather Round recorded an average occupancy of 93%, average rooms occupied of 10,587, and average revenue of $3.7 million each night.

This surpasses AFL Gather Round 2024, with occupancy up 6% on last year’s 87% average, rooms nights occupied up 12% on the 9,419 average, and revenue up 25% on the $3.7 million average.

Initial data validates forecasts that the AFL Gather Round week was Adelaide Airport’s busiest week on record with approximately 200,000 people flying in and out of Adelaide, eclipsing the previous record of 182,000 set during Gather Round 2023.

Airlines operated more than 90 additional domestic flights in the lead up to AFL Gather Round when compared with March with 1,107 flights last week.

A total of 269,506 fans attended the nine AFL football matches across the State, cementing AFL Gather Round as one of the nation’s most engaging events.

The Footy Festival was bigger and better than ever drawing 118,543 visitors over four days – an increase of 17% on last year.

Supercars

The VAILO Adelaide 500 was brought back by the Malinauskas Labor Government in 2022, after it was axed by the former Liberal Government.

Since then, it has gone from strength to strength – with the 2023 event delivering a record $61.6 million benefit to the South Australian economy. This was 18.8 per cent higher than 2022, and 59 per cent higher than the race in 2020.

The 2024 event attracted a crowd of 259,400 across the four days.

Data revealing the Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights saw a significant increase for Adelaide accommodation providers in revenue per available room (RevPAR), a key hospitality performance measure, indicating an increase in takings for the State’s tourism and hospitality industry.

Overall, hotel occupancy rates were higher this year, averaging 93.3 per cent occupied across the three nights, compared to 84.8 per cent in 2023 Compared to 2023, the CBD and North Adelaide hotel accommodation sector recorded an 11.09% increase in occupancy rates and an 18.15% increase in average daily room rates.

The increase in RevPAR represents an extra $1.76 million in revenue for these South Australian businesses compared to the 2023 event (see table below).

Adelaide Test Match

The 2024 Friday of the Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval drove the strongest ever room nights occupied in Adelaide. Latest data shows on Friday 6 December 2024, 10,418 rooms were occupied across greater metropolitan Adelaide – surpassing the previous record of 10,416 rooms occupied on 22 October.

The Thursday night of the Test cricket was the seventh strongest night on record at 10,177, while Saturday was the eighth strongest at 10,169 rooms occupied.

Tour Down Under

Record economic impact and the largest crowd since 2018 are among highlights from this year’s 25th anniversary edition of the Santos Tour Down Under.

The event, which took place from 17-26 January through Adelaide and regional South Australia, was enjoyed by 807,900 fans and achieved an all-time high expenditure of $98 million generating $62.5 million value added to the state’s economy.

Analysis by Deloitte Access Economics also found that the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under created the equivalent of 488 full-time jobs.

Support for the Santos Tour Down Under women’s race continues to grow, with a 271 per cent increase in fan attendance since 2020 and more than 155,000 people roadside for women’s stages this year – 12 per cent higher than in 2024.

In 2024 the Santos Tour Down Under generated $87.2 million in attendee spend, adding $54.5 million in economic value to the South Australian economy. It attracted an estimated total attendance of 770,600 while also creating 490 full-time equivalent jobs.

LIV Golf

The 2025 edition of LIV Golf Adelaide has delivered yet another record, with the event delivering $81.46 million to the South Australian economy, up 14 per cent on the previous year.

Independent analysis from Vision Insights shows expenditure generated by LIV Golf Adelaide in South Australia in 2025 was AUD$81.46 million, compared to $71.1 million for the 2024 event, and $64.9 million in 2023.

The research indicates LIV Golf contributed a total of 86,530 visitor nights in Adelaide (up 9 per cent), with visitors staying an average of 3.8 nights.

A total of 102,483 attended LIV Golf Adelaide in 2025 across the three days from 14 to 16 February, also a 9 per cent increase on the previous year.

41% (23,559) of attendees originated from outside of South Australia, with the majority originating from Victoria (17.9%), New South Wales (9.6%) and Queensland (5.1%).

At the time of the event, Friday and Saturday nights of LIV Golf Adelaide 2025 held the second and third highest room nights ever occupied across greater metropolitan Adelaide.

LIV Golf Adelaide 2025 had a broadcast global household reach of 785 million across more than 100 territories, exceeding the 2024 results by more than 50 per cent (500 million across 80 territories) and almost tripled the 2023 results (276 million across 69 territories).

British and Irish Lions

Making history on and off the pitch, the British & Irish Lions match generated the strongest ever number of rooms occupied in a single night across Adelaide.

Latest figures from independent hotel data analytics firm, STR show on Saturday 12 July, an all-time high room nights occupied of 10,752 was recorded across greater metropolitan Adelaide – equating to 95 per cent occupancy. The night generated $3.9 million in revenue, the fifth highest on record.

The new all-time high surpasses the previous record of 10,673 room nights occupied across greater metropolitan Adelaide on Saturday 19 April over the Easter long weekend.

Friday 11 July also saw strong results, with 10,385 room nights occupied, at 92 per cent occupancy, generating $3.2 million in revenue.

The historic match at Adelaide Oval welcomed 43,124 attendees, including an estimated 15,000 fans from some of South Australia’s key international tourism markets.

State of Origin (2023)

Almost 50,000 spectators descended on Adelaide Oval last night for the return of the NRL Ampol State of Origin and its first time in front of an unrestricted crowd.

The Wednesday night showcase of Australia’s greatest sporting rivalry entertained a blockbuster crowd of 48,613 people – well surpassing the covid-restricted crowd of 25,000 in 2020 when the first State of Origin match was played in Adelaide.

The more than 13,000 out-of-state visitors heading into the state for the first match in the 2023 Origin series have boosted hotel occupancy rates, with new data indicating Wednesday night is shaping up to be the third best night of all time.

Forward booking data released on Monday from STR – which takes data directly from hotel reservation systems – showed Adelaide accommodation occupancy on Wednesday of 92 per cent, which equates to 9,681 rooms sold. It makes it the best Wednesday on record and potentially, the third best night of all-time – when compared to bookings actuals.

At 9,681 rooms sold, it sits behind the Saturday of WOMADelaide 2023 at 9,757 rooms sold and the Tuesday of the Ed Sheeran concert at 9,938 rooms sold.

Sources