Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs’ contribution to the local economy rivalled Taylor Swift’s Eras tour says the Sydney Morning Herald
NEON, a global experience entertainment company, is celebrating the success of its Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs at the Australian Museum, as a report by Inform Economics places the show among the most successful museum exhibitions in the history of New South Wales (NSW), for both economic impact and visitor numbers.
The exhibition opened at the museum in Sydney in November 2023 and was the largest cultural exhibition to visit Australia in over a decade. According to the report, the exhibition attracted over half a million visits and contributed over $57m to the NSW economy during its 6-month run.
Sydney Morning Herald reports that this level of economic impact is comparable to that delivered by the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concerts, which took place in Sydney earlier this year. It says that the concerts were attended by 600,000 people, and are believed to have injected between $10m and $133m into the local economy.
Furthermore, the Inform Economics report found that for every $1 spent on delivering the Ramses display, the NSW community received more than $11 in benefits, resulting in a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 11.2.
The report also found that the exhibition had driven overnight stays, with 60,000 of the 500,000 visitors travelling from interstate, and 10,000 coming from outside of Australia.
Unprecedented exhibition
Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is a collaboration between World Heritage Exhibitions, NEON Global and the Houston Museum of Natural Science with support from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the life and achievements of King Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great.
It includes 181 exhibits, including gold treasures, jewellery, mummified animals, royal masks, amulets and sarcophagi. For many of these objects, the exhibition is the first time that they have been shown outside of Egypt. The Australian Museum exhibition also included an exclusive interactive experience.
Ron Tan, executive chairman & group CEO of NEON Group, says: “Sydney was the fourth city in the world to host Ramses – after Houston, San Francisco, and Paris. It has been great to see its success not just in attendance but in overall economic impact and enjoyment by the community.
“This world-class exhibition ran in Sydney for 183 days and is now showing in Cologne, Germany, where it continues to have great success. The NEON Group looks forward to partnering again with the Australian Museum in the near future on another blockbuster exhibition.”
Last month, NEON marked the successful launch of six experiences, bringing four different IPs to six different countries across four continents, all in just 22 days. Impressions of Monet opened at the Flower Dome @ Gardens by the Bay, Singapore; Jurassic World: The Exhibition opened in Mexico City; and Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs opened in Cologne, Germany, with sold-out shows over the opening weekend.