Case Studies

Background

The Nunawading Spectres Tournament is Australia’s largest single basketball association event, attracting teams, officials, and spectators from across Victoria, interstate, and overseas each year. Held annually over the King’s Birthday long weekend, the tournament is centred at the Nunawading Basketball Centre and delivered across more than 20 venues throughout Whitehorse Local Government Area (LGA) and Greater Melbourne. With over 1,000 teams and tens of thousands of spectators in attendance, the event plays a significant role in supporting the local and regional visitor economy. REMPLAN has undertaken visitor impact assessments for the tournament annually since 2023.

Project Goals

The purpose of the 2025 Visitor Impact Assessment was to estimate the economic impact generated by visitation associated with the Spectres Tournament. The analysis focused on expenditure by players, coaches, companions, and spectators travelling to attend the event, and assessed the resulting economic effects for Whitehorse LGA, Greater Melbourne, and Victoria. A further objective was to compare outcomes with previous tournaments and to assess the potential economic uplift associated with expanding the Nunawading Basketball Centre and hosting a greater share of games locally.

REMPLAN’s Involvement

REMPLAN was commissioned to undertake the 2025 Visitor Impact Assessment, building on its established methodology used for the tournament in previous years. REMPLAN estimated direct visitor expenditure and modelled the associated flow-on economic impacts, including output, employment, wages and salaries, and value-added across relevant geographies. The analysis included a year-on-year comparison with the 2024 tournament and scenario testing to quantify the potential economic benefits of increased venue capacity at the Nunawading Basketball Centre. The findings provide an evidence base to support event planning, infrastructure investment considerations, and engagement with stakeholders.

Results

The 2025 Spectres Tournament generated a substantial economic contribution through visitor expenditure, supporting $49.7 million in total output across Greater Melbourne, including $6.5 million within Whitehorse LGA. While overall visitor expenditure declined compared with 2024, the tournament continued to attract strong attendance and deliver significant benefits to the local economy.