Business reviews success of Lions' tour

As the last of the red-jerseyed fans leave our shores, New Zealand businesses are tallying up the numbers to see exactly how lucrative the 2005 Lions tour really was.

With a level of hype not seen since the millennium celebrations - remember all those billionaires who were expected to charter jets and fly to Gisborne - early indications are that the Lions did deliver the goods.

Statistics NZ figures for June confirmed the surge in UK and Irish visitors. Total arrivals from all countries were up 17 per cent for the month, to 157,147.

UK arrivals were up by 123 per cent and Irish arrivals were up by 167 per cent.

Casino and hotel operator SkyCity said Lions fans spent more than $400 each per night, helping make its new Grand Hotel the highest revenue-producing hotel in Auckland from July 7 to July 9.

Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson said the tour had lived up to expectations, with many bars reporting "best ever single night" turnovers. While some had been "a little bit underwhelmed" in the first couple of weeks, this was because most of the supporters were turning up for the first test.

Despite this, association members in the provinces had enjoyed business they would not otherwise have had.

Some in the accommodation sector had not done as well as expected, said Robertson, but also got extra winter patronage.

Many supporters had stayed in campervans and backpackers, instead of the hotels.

"I think the industry did stand up well and deliver a pretty good product, not only for our visitors, but also for New Zealanders, because a lot of New Zealanders did get out and party, supporting the All Blacks."

Group general manager of Tourism Holdings, Sean Murray, said the company's expectations of Lions business for its motor homes and coach business were met. But some of the regular market "dried up" during the tour, with people perhaps choosing to avoid travelling at a time when accommodation was expected to be scarce and expensive.

The real benefit, however, was expected to be the "immeasurable" goodwill and positive reaction to New Zealand as a destination.

Most of the real action during the Lions tour took place around bars and pubs and Lion Nathan sponsorship director Barry Guerin said the company was "delighted" with the tour, from both a beer sales perspective and marketing opportunity.

DB Breweries spokeswoman Georgina Hammond said beer sales in June were 10 per cent up on last year's figure.

"Even though the benefits weren't as widespread as expected, hospitality hubs and historically popular spots such as Auckland's Viaduct Basin experienced sizeable increases in sales, as did bars located near game grounds," she said.

One of the few dark clouds on the Lions tour tally-up came from listed dry cleaning and linen company Taylors, which said this week its full-year result would be below last year's due to "adverse trading results".

The company said it now expected its full-year result would be 18.5 per cent down on last year's $4.28 million.

June results were hit by lower-than-expected sales in the healthcare sector and a "poorer than expected showing from the hospitality industry during the Lions tour".