The success of the Fijian Drua reaching the knock out stages of the Super Pacific Rugby competition in 2023 produced significant financial benefits off the pitch for Fiji with a report revealing the franchise helped generate £23m ($F67.1 million) the for the local economy.
According to the Fiji Times, Tourism Fiji conducted an Economic Benefits Study of Sports Tourism in Fiji: A Case Study on the Fijian Drua 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season in collaboration with the Market Development Facility and consultant Barry Burgan, and the direct expenditure associated with game attendees and event operations totaled $F67.1 million.
The home matches for the Drua, who will begin their 2024 campaign on February 24 with seven games split between Lautoka and Suva, provided employment for 21,000 people, which equated to 520 full-time jobs.
“A record 58,942 people attended the Fijian Drua Super Rugby Pacific games in the 2023 season, with international visitors accounting for 21% of these attendees, injecting vitality into the local economy,” according to the report. “Crucially, this study highlights the invaluable impact of international visitors, who spent $F6,837 on average during their stay, contributing to a total expenditure of $F40 million.”
“The domestic labour and economic impact are also substantial, contributing $F11.5m to new local incomes and creating 242 full-time equivalent jobs.”
According to the survey, domestic tourism is also positively benefited, with games producing 20,970 visitor nights and $F2.35 million in spending by local tourists. Tourism Fiji chief executive Brent Hill stated that the 4676 new visitors’ spending generated 40,328 abroad visitor nights, offering a significant boost to Fiji’s tourism business. “Attending games cost visitors an estimated $F5.6 million.”
“In addition, some Fijians expressed a desire to travel abroad to attend games if they were not held locally, amounting to a $4.5 million foregone spend.” There was also an estimated $8 million in participant-generated expenditure, bringing the overall created expenditure estimate to $18.1 million. This spending added $11.5 million to Fiji’s GDP through direct and induced impacts, and it created 242 new full-time equivalent employment opportunities for Fijians.”
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