And it is estimated that in advertising terms the exposure generated by the visit would ordinarily have cost more than £3m.
The high profile achieved for the Island follows the investment of £175,000 of public money in securing the visit of the invitational rugby side for an 11-day training camp prior to their summer tour of South Africa.
Visit Jersey chief executive Amanda Burns said: ‘The coverage before the Lions even arrived in Jersey was calculated as being worth £300,000 and now the estimated value is £3.3m.
‘Some of the pictures, like the players swimming in St Aubin’s Bay with Elizabeth Castle in the background – these are iconic images that celebrate Jersey and put us on the radar of people who may not previously have considered coming here.’
‘It was great to hear the players and coaches talking repeatedly about the warm hospitality they’d experienced – it was overwhelming to see how “Team Jersey” reacted to having the Lions here.’
Ms Burns also highlighted the strong and loyal following for the Lions among rugby supporters, with a video diary viewed by 120,000 people within four days and a single Instagram post by Welsh player Louis Rees-Zammit liked by 55,000 people.
Catriona McAllister, chief executive of Jersey Sport, said the Lions’ visit had delivered in many respects. The final total raised as a result of the Lions’ fundraising dinner held at the Royal Jersey Showground was set to pass just beyond the £100,000 mark, Ms McAllister confirmed, adding: ‘We will be setting up meetings imminently to determine how we will invest this money to break down barriers that may stop young people taking part in sport.
‘What a great legacy it would be if we could develop athletes who had first got into sport as a result of meeting the Lions and benefitting from the fund that’s been set up.’
The visit is also set to leave an artistic legacy, with Island artists working on ‘Art of the Pride’, a project set up by ArtHouse Jersey in collaboration with Santander International, a major sponsor of the Lions.
