- Western Australia to play host as Manchester United calls Perth home for 10 days
- Follows McGowan Government securing major event to Western Australia
- Visitors from 30 countries purchased tickets for Manchester United Tour
- 21,000 visitors to help fill hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés as well as create jobs
Thousands of international visitors from more than 30 countries will begin descending on Perth ahead of English Premier League giants Manchester United's arrival for two matches at Optus Stadium.
The Red Devils will arrive in Perth tomorrow (July 8) with a party of more than 100 personnel, including their entire first team squad, ahead of two matches against A-League premiers Perth Glory this Saturday (July 13) and traditional rivals Leeds United on Wednesday week (July 17).
It will be the first time the club has visited Perth in more than 40 years and was made possible after the McGowan Government secured the major event through its $425 million commitment to Tourism Western Australia for events and marketing.
More than 21,000 international, interstate and regional visitors are expected to attend the two matches and provide a mid-winter bonanza for hotels, restaurants and tourism operators across Western Australia, as well as helping to create jobs.
Ticket purchasing data shows that people from the United Kingdom will provide most of the international visitors.
The data also reveals that large numbers of supporters from New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States of America along with fans from the Czech Republic, Netherlands and Indonesia have bought tickets, a testament to the worldwide pulling power of Manchester United.
Interstate visitors are expected to number more than 10,000 with New South Wales and Victoria the highest, in part due to strong support from the Manchester United supporters clubs in those two States.
Manchester United has one of the biggest supporter bases in the world with more than 659 million fans across the globe. The club also has a strong global social media reach with 114 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter combined.
Apart from two big matches, Manchester United will also host a sold out open training session at the WACA Ground on Thursday, July 11 in front of more than 14,000 fans, a Legends dinner at Optus Stadium, a Legends corporate golf day, and a supporters celebration at Embargo On The Point.
The Manchester United Foundation and Telethon have also formed an exciting partnership that will see an opportunity for disadvantaged Western Australian children to play football at their local community clubs.
Manchester United's trip to Western Australia is supported by the State Government, through Tourism WA and VenuesWest and by Optus Stadium operator, VenuesLive.
Limited tickets are still available for both games. Head to http://www.unitedinperth.com for more information, including the full schedule and other details about both matches.
Comments attributed to Premier Mark McGowan:
"It's one of the ultimate feats to be able to secure the Manchester United Tour. The ability to attract thousands of interstate and international tourists was why we pursued this major event.
"The top-quality sporting and major events we continue to secure for Western Australia is starting to really resonate, as Perth becomes a more popular destination.
"Having Manchester United in Perth for 10 days is a huge drawcard for interstate and international visitors and will see thousands of people flood Western Australia, which will help boost our economy and create jobs.
"We will see tourists from Europe, North America and Asia in Perth not only enjoying the matches on offer at the world-class Optus Stadium but also enjoying some of the best our city and regional areas have to offer through our quality hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions."
Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Paul Papalia:
"We know visitors from Hong Kong, Surabaya, Auckland and Manchester have bought two-game match passes which indicates they will be spending plenty of time here enjoying all that Perth has to offer.
"The city is set to turn red for 10 days and I hope people in Perth will also get out, support the matches and the other tour events and welcome the thousands of visitors to help show off our State.
"Securing world-class events like this give people a reason to travel to Western Australia and help fill our hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés, as well as create jobs."
Premier's office - 6552 5000
Tourism Minister's office - 6552 5600
