If anyone doubted the economic clout of English cricket fans armed with credit cards, luggage and a stubborn refusal to miss a Test match, the latest hotel data has delivered a decisive verdict.
The Ashes tour has ignited Australia’s hotel markets, sending occupancy rates, room prices and revenues surging across multiple capital cities, according to fresh data from global property analytics heavyweight CoStar Group.
Perth, which hosted the opening Test from 21–25 November, wore the yellow jersey early. On the second night of the match, hotel occupancy hit a staggering 96.0%, while average daily rates (ADR) soared to AUD409.36 and revenue per available room (RevPAR) climbed to AUD393.03. Both figures marked the highest levels ever recorded in the Perth market, with ADR and RevPAR jumping 46.9% and 50.3% year-on-year, respectively.
In plain terms: rooms were full, prices were firm, and hoteliers were smiling.
Brisbane followed suit during the second Test from 4–8 December. Occupancy peaked at 90.3% on the opening night, while the third night delivered the real financial fireworks. ADR reached AUD406.16, and RevPAR surged to AUD363.85, representing increases of 55.7% and 74.4% compared with the previous year.
The contrast with the last COVID-disrupted Ashes tour is stark. Back in January 2022, Hobart’s fifth Test topped out at 88.8% occupancy, with RevPAR peaking at AUD210.78. Adelaide recorded the tour’s highest ADR at the time — AUD253.30 — a figure that now looks modest in a post-pandemic, travel-hungry Australia.
Looking ahead, Adelaide is shaping up as the next sell-out success. With the third Test beginning on 17 December, forward bookings are already sitting at 96.1% for opening night, as of 8 December. Melbourne and Sydney will host the fourth and fifth Tests, with projected peak occupancies of 84.6% on 27 December and 61.3% on 4 January, respectively.
Beyond the boundary rope, the message is clear: major sporting events remain one of tourism’s most reliable economic engines. When cricket comes to town, hotels cash in — and this Ashes tour is proving to be a textbook example.
For further insights into the data and market analysis, visit https://www.costargroup.com.
by Soo James
Read time: 2 minutes.
About the Writer.
There’s nothing predictable about Soo James, and that’s precisely her charm. Of Malaysian descent, she set down academic roots at the University of New South Wales, majoring in Arts, before veering off into the unlikeliest of places: IT. It mightn’t sound romantic, but somewhere between data strings and deadlines, Soo found a fascination with how people and words connect.
What began as a curiosity soon turned into a craft. Over time, her writing slipped effortlessly into travel blogs and lifestyle features, each piece marked by her dry wit and a mind that notices the small, telling details others might miss. She writes with a traveller’s eye and a local’s heart, grounded, observant, and quietly amused by the world’s contradictions. Today, at Global Travel Media, Soo’s words do what travel should always do: take readers somewhere new, even if only for a few minutes.
