THE State Government is hailing World Youth Day a success for tourism and the economy even though the event fell short of delivering numbers and may have put other tourists off from travelling to Sydney.
Doubts have also been raised about the economic windfall delivered to the state from the event, which the Government claims cost $86 million to stage.
Before World Youth Day, which ran from Tuesday, July 15, to Sunday, July 20, organisers had forecast that 125,000 overseas visitors and 200,000 domestic visitors would come to Sydney.
On the back of these figures, the State Government predicted an economic boost worth between $152 million and $193 million, while the Sydney Chamber of Commerce put the expected benefit at about $230 million.
The State Government is refusing to release information about the economic impact and the NSW Chamber of Commerce has admitted it had not done any work to check whether the $230 million benefit had eventuated.
"I think we've moved on," said a chamber spokesman, Nick Davy.
But now, 3½ months after the event, the latest snapshot shows the number of participants fell short of forecasts by 15,000 for overseas pilgrims and more than 80,000 for domestic visitors.
The Tourism Australia figures suggest that tens of thousands of tourists may have been discouraged from travelling to Sydney because of the perceived disruption caused by the event.
In July, some 47,000 more tourists travelled to Australia than in the same month last year. Taking into account the 110,000 international visitors who came specifically for the event, according to the Government minister overseeing World Youth Day, Kristina Keneally, that still leaves 63,000 potential visitors who stayed away.
Roger March, a lecturer in marketing at the Australian Business School, said that some large events could deter potential holidaymakers. The Sydney Olympics boosted visitor numbers in the weeks leading up to and after the games, as did the Rugby World Cup, though the economic benefits of the latter have never been quantified.
"There's a general perception that because a destination is seen as full, that people make a decision to delay their visit or go elsewhere," said Dr March.
The director of the Australian Retailers Association, Michael Lonie, said that trade was not as badly affected as it was over the APEC weekend last year, but neither was there an uplift in sales from pilgrims. "They had a very tight schedule and they simply didn't have time to shop."
But organisers, including tourism chiefs, are proclaiming it a success. Tourism Australia says a survey of 4000 pilgrims showed the event had done its job of marketing Australia to an audience that might return in the future.
Nearly 80 per cent had not been to Australia before and a similar percentage stayed beyond the five days of celebration. But only 21 per cent stayed in paid accommodation.
The managing director of Tourism Australia, Geoff Buckley, said: "After making a connection with our country early in their lives, it's our hope pilgrims will feel drawn to return in the future, perhaps on a working holiday visa, a backpacking trip, on their honeymoon or later in life with families of their own, having connected with Australia's people, land and lifestyle during their visit."
Ms Keneally said: "The joy it brought to our city during the event had a positive effect on everyone, making the city all the more beautiful."
Her department refused to give any further details, nor could it explain the discrepancy in tourism figures.
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