Victoria’s marvellous major events will be spruiked in an advertising blitz to remind Aussies why Melbourne is the nation’s sporting capital as new figures reveal the record amount sport earned Victoria.

Iconic images of the Australian Open tennis, AFL Grand Final and F1 Grand Prix will be beamed into people’s loungerooms across the country in a Visit Victoria campaign aimed at luring more sports and event tourists to Melbourne.

It comes as the Herald Sun can reveal Victoria’s major events calendar delivered an economic boost of $3.64bn, up from $3.3bn in 2022.

A BDO report commissioned by Visit Victoria shows the events calendar attracted attendances of 7.9m in the same period, up from 7.2m in 2022.

And more than 848,000 people from interstate and overseas travelled to Victoria to attend major events, compared to 808,418 in 2022

Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements said major sporting events built momentum and opportunity across the state.

“We are seeing that in real time as more visitors are heading to Melbourne to attend our major sporting events than any other Australian city,’’ he said

“This spring, Visit Victoria’s newest marketing campaign is celebrating the fact that Victorians will enjoy a front-row seat to an unrivalled sporting calendar, and one of the greatest periods in Australian sporting history.

“It reinforces that Melbourne is sport’s home ground.’’

The advertising campaign will kick off in prime time on Sunday night, with the launch of a 30-second film celebrating iconic sporting moments and events that have shaped Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s sporting capital.

It features some of our nation’s biggest sporting heroes taking us back to their iconic moments, made in Melbourne.

Highlights include Alex Jesaulenko’s epic mark at the mighty MCG, Michelle Payne creating Melbourne Cup history at Flemington and Formula 1 cars screeching around the Albert Park circuit.

Ash Barty winning the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in 2022 and Shane Warne taking his 700th wicket on the G’s hallowed turf in the 2006 Boxing Day Test also feature in the clips.

The campaign is timed to air throughout the AFL Finals and next month’s historic NFL Melbourne Game and as Melbourne celebrate one of the greatest six-month periods of major events in Australian sporting history.

Between now and next March, Melbourne will host the San Francisco 49ers-La Rams clash at the MCG on September 11, the AFL finals, Constellation Cup, Melbourne Cup Carnival and Australian Open Golf.

Fans will also flock to the Boxing Day Test, Australian Open tennis, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, 150th Anniversary Test and F1 Grand Prix.

“Victorians will soak up this spectacular showcase in their own backyard,’’ Mr McClements said.

“While hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to travel to Victoria over this period, injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the state’s visitor economy.’’

It is not known how much the advertising campaign will cost taxpayers.

Accommodation Australia Victoria general manager Dougal Holis said: “Melbourne boasts an unrivalled major events calendar that attracts visitors from every corner of the globe – so it’s unsurprising there’s a strong positive correlation between event timing and a significant hotel occupancy uplift.

“Hotels statewide are gearing up for a massive spring and summer season – underpinned by 13,000 additional rooms (+43 per cent) already sold for Melbourne’s historic NFL fixture, our traditional major event pillars, and a cavalcade of headline music acts, soon to grace our shores.”