It may have involved an army but there was nothing balmy about the economic benefits from the Black Caps-England cricket test at Bay Oval in February.

A report has found domestic and international visitors spent $4,116,651 in Tauranga during the test, with an estimated net benefit to the city of $1,901,103.

Despite a dreary summer build-up and a loss to the hosts - England won by 267 runs on day four - Bay Oval's lustre as an international cricket venue continues to build, helped in no small part by the findings of the report.

"We've got a world-class cricket ground in the heart of one of New Zealand's prime holiday hot-spots and that combination is definitely showing its worth," says Bay Oval general manager Kelvin Jones.

"Having the beach and Mount Maunganui's restaurants so close to the ground makes it a pretty attractive destination and the feedback we got from the touring cricket fans was that Bay Oval was one of the best venues in the country."

England's Balmy Army - the globe-trotting cricket supporters club - contributed significantly to the big spend in Tauranga, with a number of local restaurants and bars heaving following each day's play.

The report - produced by Fresh Information for Bay Oval Trust and Tauranga City Council - showed the test attracted 7086 visitors to Tauranga, made up of 5310 domestic visitors and 1775 international visitors.

Those touring fans contributed more than 9200 visitor nights to Tauranga accommodation providers, with most of them staying at least five days. 

In total, 13,053 unique attendees watched from the sun-drenched grassy banks of Bay Oval across the four days, contributing 21,417 visitor nights in total.

The test came just days after Cyclone Gabrielle slammed the North Island of New Zealand, with Bay Oval staff working furiously to have the ground and facilities ready in time.

Not only did their efforts delight the fans - 95 per cent of attendees surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their event experience - but they had a positive effect on the mood of the city.

Ninety per cent of Tauranga residents surveyed said hosting events like the test match increases their pride in the city and makes Tauranga a more enjoyable place to live.

Tauranga City Council venues and events manager Nelita Byrne believes the report proves the worth of the city hosting Black Caps test matches.

“These numbers show not only outstanding financial results but also confirm we’re creating vibrancy for our city and securing the type of events locals want to see and be part of," she said. “This is another example of a spectacular team effort from Bay Oval and Tauranga City Council’s Event Development teams working together to secure an international event for our community.”

February's test was the fourth at Bay Oval, following previous tests against England (2019), Pakistan (2020) and Bangladesh (2022).

Bangladesh (three one-dayers and three T20s), South Africa (two tests) and Australia (two tests and three T20s) are all set to tour New Zealand in 2023/24, which has Jones excited.

“Tauranga is now a hugely attractive destination for both international cricket teams and their touring fans so we’re pretty confident we’ll see some big names grace Bay Oval next summer.”