Australian composer Brett Dean’s acclaimed opera Hamlet, one of 11 events which sold out, has been heralded is the stand-out show on the 2018 program, drawing 39 per cent of its opera-loving audience from other parts of Australia.

The economic assessment report by Economic Research Consultants found that 19,825 people came from interstate or overseas to attend the festival – a 44 per cent increase on last year – with the number of “visitor bed nights” up 50 per cent to 138,021.

The estimated gross expenditure of $76.1 million generated by the festival was an increase of 9 per cent on last year.

Festival chair Judy Potter said the fact that so many people had chosen to travel to South Australia to attend festival events was “testament to the strength and vision” of co-artistic directors Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy’s program.

“For many reasons, the festival is such an important part of South Australia’s identity and today, quite distinct from its enormous cultural significance, this announcement demonstrates its sheer value in terms of boosting our economy, especially through cultural tourism,” Potter said.

As reported previously, the 2018 festival attracted a total box office income of more than $4.5 million, which was 12 per cent higher than the previous year and the biggest in the event’s history.