"And being a mid-tour fixture means international Lions supporter tour groups, already in the country, will also come here meaning the match is virtually guaranteed to be a success. This will be great for Rotorua."
Hennessy's pub manager Hillary Hennessy said the 2005 Lions tour had been great for local businesses.
"One of the best stories that came out of the last test was when a young Irish man knocked on the door at 9.30am and asked if we could open for him and his Irish friends to watch the game.
"Thirty-six of them proceeded to walk in. They bought 36 pints of Guinness and 36 Ulster fry-ups, that was one of our biggest days." On the day of the game they sold in excess of 80 kegs of Guinness.
Former Maori All Blacks coach Matt Te Pou, from Whakatane, was at the wheel when the Maori All Blacks defeated the Lions 19-13 in Hamilton in 2005.
He said it was a great result to have the Maori All Blacks and Lions playing in Rotorua.
"That's great news and it's in the right place, a great venue," he said. "Other areas outside of Rotorua, like Murupara, Gisborne and Waikato, are very central for Maori who love the game.
"The international stadium is one of the best grounds in New Zealand that should be used more for this type of game, and it's great to see that the New Zealand Rugby Union have allocated a game of this level to the Maori All Blacks, it shows their respect for the team."
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers said it was a huge result for the Bay.
"I would like to acknowledge the support of the Rotorua Lakes Council with our bid. They have been fantastic to partner with to achieve this very positive result for our community."
When the Lions played in Rotorua in 2005 they defeated the Bay of Plenty Steamers 34-20.
Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman said about 20,000 Lions supporters visited New Zealand during the tour in 2005 and a similar number could be expected in 2017.
