TOURISM VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT

Sports Business
International
named Melbourne
the Ultimate Sports
City 2008
Spring Racing Carnival, Flemington 2007.
Melbourne events have a major impact
on the accommodation sector at
specific times of the year. The March
and October to November periods are
traditionally busy times. Tourism Victoria
works to ensure that appropriate
accommodation is available for visitors
attracted to Melbourne. Tourism
Victoria works with the Victorian Major
Events Company in order to generate
event-related opportunities throughout
the year. Events including the Australian
Open Tennis Championships,
Melbourne Winter Masterpieces:
Guggenheim Collection 1940s to
Now and Pixar: 20 Years of Animation,
Melbourne International Comedy
Festival and the Spring Racing Carnival
were outstanding successes in attracting
visitors and generating international and
interstate promotion.
The State Government’s commitment
to the Australian Open Tennis
Championships, one of Victoria’s most
successful Hallmark Events, is managed
by Tourism Victoria.
This contract, which supports the
event’s Asia-Pacific marketing strategy,
ensures that the various tourism
marketing strategies continue to
generate increased visitation and
destination promotion, in particular via
the international and national broadcast
opportunities. In October 2007,
the State Government extended its
sponsorship of the Australian Open
for a further three years.
The 2008 tournament attracted a record
crowd in excess of 605,000 people.
Live sites in Shanghai, Sydney and
Melbourne attracted a combined
estimated attendance of almost
1.4 million. The Australian Tennis Open
Tennis Championships promotes
Melbourne to an international audience
through an estimated 1,400 accredited
media representatives, 39.5 per cent of
whom originate from outside Australia.
Cooperative marketing activities
included improved destination signage
to ensure the Melbourne brand was
displayed on court and broadcast
to a worldwide television audience.
Advertisements promoting Melbourne
and regional Victoria were shown
throughout the United States broadcast
BRAND HEALTH
major international sporting and cultural events
Capital Cities %
Melbourne 47
Sydney 37
Adelaide 3
Brisbane 5
Perth 1
Other 7
In the annual Brand Health survey
Melbourne continues to be the leading city
recognised for major international sporting
and cultural events.
MARKETING
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