With anticipation building for yesterday’s match at Dunedin Stadium between the Football Ferns and Switzerland, the centre of the city was humming on a surprisingly bright winter day.
Bars and cafes were unusually busy.
The Otago Regional Council also put on more buses to accommodate people going to the match.
The tournament began in Dunedin on July 21, with Switzerland beating the Philippines 2-0, and the city will host its last match tomorrow , when Vietnam plays the Netherlands.
Ms Barker said the eyes of the footballing world had been on Dunedin as a result of the tournament.
"It’s been a showcase of how good our compact city is for hosting events," Ms Barker said.
There had been a lot of work behind the scenes, and yesterday’s match was the culmination of that, she said.
"There’s bound to be lasting effects ... The Swiss team have been amazing with their social media - they’ve really promoted Dunedin as a place to stay," she said.
Otago Motels Association’s Peter Firns said most motels in Dunedin were either booked out or heavily booked leading up to the match.
"There’s a really good buzz around the city at the moment," Mr Firns said.
"People from all over have been coming to see the match."
"It’s come at a traditionally quiet time of the year. It’s probably more of a family atmosphere than you would get for big rugby matches. It’s been good for the city."
He was pleased with the way the city got behind the tournament.
"You have a lot of school groups and young people adopting teams, which is pretty cool. It’s neat to see students dressed out or having their faces painted.
"It’s been a really friendly tournament."
Brew Bar co-owner Mark Fraser said the anticipation had been building over the weekend, but the tournament in general had been a great success for Dunedin.
"So many people have been into it - it’s been a fun time," Mr Fraser said.
The Swiss team had proven a hit with the people of Dunedin, he said.
"We had them come into the bar to watch one of the games and they were flooded with people wanting selfies with them. I think they really enjoyed the response."
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said securing the bid to host the World Cup had created several flow-on benefits for the city.
"Several sportsgrounds have been done up or upgraded as a result of the tournament, and it’s brought a real vibrancy to the city.
"It’s good to have something that caters to all people, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a big uptake in the sport as a result of the tournament."
He had been pleased with the attendance of people at the fan zone in the centre of Dunedin.
Enterprise Dunedin chief executive John Christie said the tournament would have injected "more than $10 million" into the Dunedin economy, but "the success of the tournament goes beyond that".
"Dunedin is a really good host for events such as this.
"It’s important culturally and socially. The crowd behaviour has been brilliant. So many people have got behind this tournament," Mr Christie said.
"It’s been special having some of the best women’s football players in the world right on our doorstep."
A full economic analysis of the tournament would likely be released in due course, he said.
"But what’s most important is that there’s been some fantastic football."
Next weekend is expected to be similarly busy in Dunedin, with the All Blacks playing the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup match at the stadium on Saturday.
