Tourism Fiji Chief Executive, Brent Hill, says the decision to conduct the in-depth analysis on the economic benefits of sports tourism stemmed from a need for tangible data.

In collaboration with the Market Development Facility and consultant Barry Burgan a report was released yesterday, with the focal point of the study revolving around the Fijian Drua rugby team, playing their home games last year.

According to Hill, people have often said more needs to be done around sports tourism, but no one has done thorough research or quantified what those numbers look like.

He says this initiative aims to bridge the gap between claims and factual evidence, offering a robust foundation for future decision-making in the realm of sports tourism.

The Tourism boss emphasizes the importance of having concrete information to showcase the government the actual numbers and the tangible impact on visitors coming to Fiji.

“Now that we’ve got the data there, what this does is it means that if I am trying to have a conversation with government about supporting a rugby international, so let’s say we try and get the wallabies to come here and play, we can point to the data and say, well, look, these are the numbers of the types of people that will travel.”

Hill says the collaborative effort highlights their commitment to fostering a sustainable and lucrative sports tourism sector.

According to the report, direct expenditure associated with last year’s Super Rugby game attendees in Fiji and event operations hit an impressive $67.1 million.