Australian football fans are taking their love for the sport and their money over to Britain, making it an increasingly valuable asset to the local economy.
According to VisitBritain’s latest research, around 800,000 international visitors went to at least one football game in Britain last year.
In total, the 800,000 visitors spent round £684 million or $1.4 billion – an incredible 15 percent rise compared to five years ago.
The average spend of an international football fan in Britain also shot up this year to £855 (AU$1,864) compared to £636 (AU$1,386) last year.
While it may seem as though only leisure visitors are attending matches, in actual fact more than 40,000 of the 800,000 fans were international business visitors.
Topping the international league table for visitors who attended a football match was the Irish Republic, with 121,000. Australia ranked in the top ten with 32,000 Aussie visitors attending a football match during 2014.
These figures are expected to grow in the coming months as more overseas visitors head to the destination in time for the Premier League football.
The 2015/16 football season will be the eighth year of VisitBritain’s non-commercial partnership with the Premier League, which encourages visitors from all over the world to travel to Britain and enjoy a Premier League football match with the Football is GREAT campaign.
VisitBritain’s Chief Executive, Sally Balcombe, said the bureau is aiming to build on the football momentum by continued marketing in key markets such as Australia.
“Our ambition is to convert the global interest in football and the Barclays Premier League into even more international visits to all regions across Britain.”
Sally Balcombe, VisitBritain Chief Executive
All of VisitBritain’s Football is GREAT activity promotes the destinations behind the Barclays Premier League with regular digital and social media activity taking place throughout the season to highlight the tourism offer in key football regions, such as Wales, the North West, North East, Midlands and London.
