Please select your home edition
Edition
Sea Sure 2025
Product Feature
Ovington Snapback Cap
Ovington Snapback Cap

SailGP Christchurch: Total visitor spend measured in excess of NZD $8.1 million (USD $5M)

by SailGP Media 7 Jul 2023 06:18 BST 7 July 2023
Spectators watch the racing from the shoreline on Race Day 1 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch, New Zealand © Lynne Cameron for SailGP

Event data has revealed the sweeping benefits of inaugural ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix for Christchurch, which had a total economic impact of NZD $13.9 million for the host city regional economy, as independently audited by Deloitte. Total visitor spend measured in excess of NZD $8.1 million (USD $5M).

Held 18-19 March 2023 on Lyttelton Harbour, more than 12,000 unique attendees attended the sold-out event in Lyttelton. Tickets sold out within hours, with organisers releasing an additional 900 seats just days before the spectacle.

With more than half of attendees traveling from outside Christchurch to take part in the action, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix generated nearly 23,000 visitor nights in Christchurch.

Electronic Card Transactions (ECT) analysis also showed an uptick in spending in Lyttelton over race weekend, with ECT visitor spend in the township up 14% between February and March. ECT spending in the city centre during this period (16-19 Mar) saw a 10% increase.

The event also put the natural beauty of Christchurch and culture of New Zealand firmly on the world stage, with more than 136 million watching the racing from 205 broadcast territories. More than 400,000 New Zealanders watched SailGP’s long-awaited home debut, which was shown on ThreeNow, Three and Sky Sport NZ.

Off the water, SailGP made waves with a range of initiatives to spread the benefits of hosting outside the race village and into the local community. 665 young people were engaged through SailGP Inspire - the league’s education and community outreach programme. Among them, 92 youth sailors trained and raced on the F50 course, 450 students took part in learning initiatives and 20 interns gained real-world employment experience, working with international teams and SailGP departments.

Two purpose projects, funded jointly by SailGP and ChristchurchNZ, delivered lasting impacts locally - including support for the Omaru Stream Restoration Project, and the fast tracking of real-time acoustic monitoring for Hector’s dolphins in Lyttelton Harbour.

Head of the New Zealand event Karl Budge said, “We’re incredibly proud of the inaugural ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix and its impact on the local community.”

“Everything from racecourse design, the fan village, and the newly-developed facilities at Naval Point provided us with the ideal venue for the stadium style racing SailGP was built for. The feedback from our fans, partners, international teams and staff alike has been that New Zealand set a new benchmark on the global, season calendar,” Budge said.

Of attendees surveyed, 98% reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience at SailGP - and residents agreed, with 95% reporting that “hosting events like SailGP increases my pride in Christchurch.”

With Season 4 now underway, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix heads north next year, making its debut in Auckland 23-24 March 2024. The event returns to Christchurch in Season 5 as part of a four-year partnership with Christchurch NZ, Tataki Auckland Unlimited and New Zealand Major Events.

Related Articles

SailGP: Brits win French event
Day 2 of the Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez has been cancelled due to forecast thunderstorms Day 2 of the Rockwool France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez has been cancelled due to forecast thunderstorms expected to impact the area during scheduled racing. Posted on 13 Sep
ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix Day 1
Fletcher flies high on turbulent first day Day one of the ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix went the way of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team as they topped the event leaderboard after the first four fleet races of the weekend in Saint-Tropez. Posted on 12 Sep
SailGP: Brits top leaderboard after Day 1
A squirrely 15-18kts breeze opened up plenty of opportunity for aggressive tactics. Emirates GBR topped the SailGP France leaderboard after the first day of racing in Saint Tropez. The squirrely 15-18kt breeze was distorted by the surrounding high terrain, channeling the pressure and direction, caused some dramatic switching of places. Posted on 12 Sep
Riviera racing: SailGP set for Saint-Tropez return
As league confirms 2026 expansion team plans The Rolex SailGP Championship returns tomorrow - and France's famous "Mistral [wind] has turned up just in time," according to league CEO Sir Russell Coutts. Twelve national teams will hit the startline for the sold-out event. Posted on 11 Sep
SailGP launches new rudders
And unveils further innovations ahead of Saint-Tropez event SailGP has today announced significant steps forward in technological innovation and fleet capability, with the launch of new rudders and plans for automated foil-protection software specifically for high speed, highly-loaded maneuvers. Posted on 10 Sep
SailGP Racing on the Edge Season 5 Episode 9
Germany find their spark in latest episode of Racing on the Edge After a disastrous start to their 2025 Season - seemingly-defined by an unprecedented 12-point penalty in Sydney - the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank have been fighting to prove themselves. Posted on 8 Sep
SailGP: The sky is the limit for Auckland
Auckland to set world record venue spectator audience at Rolex SailGP with 30% stand expansion SailGP Auckland will take place on Valentine's Weekend 2026 with a 30 percent increase in grandstand size to accommodate more than 10,000 fans daily in the purpose-built Race Stadium at Wynyard Point, alongside hospitality and other ticketed products. Posted on 24 Aug
Fairytale win for France in SailGP Germany debut
Bouncing back from damage and injury in practice, Les Bleus win in Sassnitz In a stunning weekend comeback, the France SailGP Team claimed their first event win of the 2025 Season - bouncing back from near-disaster in practice to beat the BONDS Flying Roos and Emirates GBR in an action-packed winner-takes-all Final. Posted on 17 Aug
SailGP confirms long-term commitment
To racing in Germany, Australia, Brazil, USA, UK and UAE SailGP, the world's most exciting racing on water, has today announced a major three-season commitment to host the Germany Sail Grand Prix in August, cementing Sassnitz as a returning to the championship's calendar on August 22-23, 2026. Posted on 17 Aug
Australia lead after record-setting opening day
ROCKWOOL Denmark hit 103.93 km/h at Germany Sail Grand Prix Australia tops the table after a fast and furious day one of the inaugural Germany Sail Grand Prix. Thousands of fans cheered from the sold-out Race Stadium, as the Germany SailGP Team, presented by Deutsche Bank, claimed the opening fleet race. Posted on 16 Aug