Melbourne targets Asian tourism growth through NFL hosting deal

Victoria is looking to Melbourne’s multi-year NFL hosting agreement to drive international tourism growth, particularly from Asia, after the inaugural game last month attracted interstate and overseas visitors and delivered some of the city’s highest hotel occupancy rates on record.

Tickets for the match between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were purchased from 38 countries. Asian markets represented included China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

More than 100,000 spectators attended the game, with almost half of ticket holders travelling from interstate or overseas, including about 10 per cent from the US. With the NFL seeking to expand its fan base globally, including in Asia, Visit Victoria chief marketing officer Shae Keenan sees an opportunity to use future games to attract visitors from a region she says will be central to the state’s international tourism growth.

“For Victoria and Melbourne, our international growth in visitation and expenditure is largely going to come from the Asian market,” she told TTG Asia.

“Asia is an incredibly important part of our international visitor economy. It’s certainly where we have a really strong aspiration to grow our position.”

Keenan said growing interest in sport and sports tourism across Asia, coupled with the NFL’s efforts to build its fan base in the region, presented an opportunity for Melbourne to strengthen its position as a sporting destination.

The first game also boosted Melbourne’s accommodation sector. STR CoStar data supplied by Accommodation Australia showed city hotel occupancy reached 93 per cent on the eve of the game and 85 per cent on game day, with occupancy across the two days 32 per cent higher than during the corresponding period last year. Almost 10,000 additional hotel rooms were sold.

Accommodation Australia Victoria general manager Dougal Hollis said the game-eve result put the NFL “on par with some of the city’s biggest and busiest events ever”.

For comparison, the 2025 British and Irish Lions test against the Wallabies generated 94.7 per cent occupancy, while Billy Joel’s 2022 MCG concert achieved 93.7 per cent.

Hollis said many interstate and international NFL fans had extended their stays to visit regional Victoria.

“While attracting visitors to Melbourne is a fundamental first step, generating regional dispersal is critical to amplifying the economic impact these major events have for Victoria,” he said.

Visit Victoria is also looking beyond the immediate increase in visitors, positioning the NFL as a longer-term destination marketing opportunity. The game’s broadcast reached 21.7 million viewers globally, including 18.5 million in the US.

“This was not just about the visitation that would come for the event,” Keenan said. “This really is a multi-year marketing platform to significantly create demand for Melbourne and Victoria into the US and into other global markets.”

That opportunity extends beyond sports fans, with Keenan pointing to the NFL’s appeal across other interests as another way to reach potential visitors.

“NFL is at the perfect intersection of fashion, of culture, and of sport,” she said, adding that its reach extended into entertainment and music.

That appeal was reflected in a week of activities around Melbourne, including team fan events, live music and an NFL Kickoff Festival, allowing those without match tickets to participate.