Tens of thousands of visiting fans turned the capital into a party venue as the city was submerged in a sea of red by supporters. A sell-out crowd of 74,500 is expected when a 100 strong Sky Television team will beam pictures of the event around the world.
Research into the 2006 Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff revealed that spectators stayed in the city for an average of two nights and expenditure per adult approached £300 in a pattern set to be matched this weekend.
Economists have discovered that the so-called “stadium effect” also ripples spending across the region to hotels in Newport, Swansea and even further afield to Bristol, Gloucester, Taunton and Swindon. That stadium-effect involves principally involves the hotel, pub and restaurant sector as the weekend progresses.
WRU Group Chief Executive, Roger Lewis, said: “We are delighted to have welcomed the 2008 Heineken Cup Final to the Millennium Stadium for the city again to play host to one of the major events on the European sporting calendar.
“It is a great occasion for Cardiff, Wales and for rugby which shows the world how we in Wales can host major events at our fantastic stadium.
“We are determined to continue to attract those major sporting and non sporting events into the Millennium Stadium to closely align our strategies with the Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff council. We are delighted to work together to make things happen for Cardiff and Wales.”
This weekend the surge of visitors has also included virtual convoys of camper fans which have brought fans into Cardiff and set up base as far away as west Wales from where fans travelled into the city on match day.
The game also saw a major boost for air and ferry travel to and from Wales as the weekend turned into a festival of the best of European rugby.
The economic impact survey revealed that since the stadium opened in 1999 off-site spectator spending has topped £600million. More than 55 per cent or some £350 million has been spent by non-Welsh spectators visiting the city to attend events.
The survey found that away from match days the stadium has helped stimulate the weekend break market for Cardiff as fans realise what the capital has to offer. The main findings of the survey were that since 1999 the wider economic impact of the stadium on the South Wales economy was worth £725 million.
More than 1.2 million people attend the Millennium Stadium each year making it the biggest visitor attraction in Wales and one of the top ten visitor attractions in the UK. Also according to the survey the scale of spending generated from stadium activities could support around 2,400 full time jobs in the region.
The Millennium Stadium is owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union and hosts more than 35 major sporting and non sporting events each year. They range from international rugby and soccer through motorsport, speedway and boxing to rock concerts, spectacular attractions such as Monster Trucks and community events.
Major factors which attract event organisers to the Millennium Stadium include its city centre location, the closing roof which guarantees events take place whatever the weather and the removable pitch.
