Barmy Army to boost Oz economy by 300 mln-dollars during England's Ashes tour

England's big band of noisy, rowdy cricket fans known as the Barmy Army, who are famous for their trumpeting, chanting and sledging of the Australian cricketers, will reportedly provide a total economic benefit to Australia of more than 300 million dollars.

Hotel operators, pub owners and tour companies are getting ready at the prospect of more than 50,000 English fans, including at least 15,000 Barmy Army members, in Australia for the winter Ashes series which started with the first Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the fans will give tourism around Australia a major boost with a total benefit of approximately 300 million dollars, which is double the 150 million dollars from 30,000 overseas fans credited to the England Lions rugby tour earlier this year.

The report mentioned that Australian hotels are already citing a whopping 95 per cent to 98 per cent occupancy rate during Test matches, and in the most recent Australian Ashes study in 2006-07, the Test series and one-day matches contributed 317 million dollars in direct expenditure.

According to the chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, Ken Morrison , although visitor numbers from Britain have been affected by weak economic conditions over recent years, Australia is now seeing signs of a recovery, adding that the Ashes will act as a catalyst for additional visitors from the UK, giving them an extra reason to plan a trip to Australia.

Morrison also said that the fact that England goes into the series as the favourite should provide an additional incentive for their fans to come to Australia.