The Heineken Cup semi-final clash between Munster and Saracens could be worth up to £6 million for Coventry's economy.

More than 20,000 fans from Munster are travelling to the city for the clash at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday, April 27, along with 8,000 Saracens fans.

And the Irish contingent has set the city's hotels and bars into a frenzy, as they meet the huge demand for accommodation and refreshments for what is heading towards a sell-out match.

Nearly every major hotel in Coventry has had a major increase in bookings for the weekend, and bars and restaurants are drafting in extra stock and staff.

Budget airline Ryanair is just one travel firm to report a large increase in custom for the match - and has organised extra flights.

Bridget Dowling, sales and marketing manager for UK & Ireland with Ryanair, said: "We have experienced great demand for our flights from Shannon and Cork into Birmingham and East Midlands for the weekend of the match.

"We have scheduled three additional flights - or almost 1,200 additional seats - from Cork to East Midlands on Saturday and returning on Sunday after the match, and an additional flight from Birmingham to Shannon on April 27.

"Some of the flights are already entirely sold out but there are still some seats available for the inbound Red Army!"

Figures from a Limerick City Council report show the average spend of a travelling supporter can be up to £400 - with a third going on accommodation, and around half going on food, drink and attractions.

Businesses in the city are likely to have an entire weekend to reap the benefits, with many Irish fans travelling to Coventry on Friday.

Mark Gilder, manager of The Four Provinces Irish pub in Allesley Old Road, is one of many establishments hoping to capitalise on the Irish invasion.

He said: "Extra staff will be working and we are ordering extra barrels of drink. From experience, the Irish enjoy Heineken and Guinness, so we'll make sure we have a lot of those in especially!

"The idea is to use the internet to make Munster's fans aware of everything we're doing - and hopefully they'll use us for the whole weekend. We're also hoping to put on some coaches to the ground to help get people to the game easily."

The excitement surrounding the game should help make it the most successful rugby game hosted by the Ricoh Arena.

Daniel Gidney, chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said: "Coventry is buzzing with excitement for the whole weekend and we are delighted to be hosting such a great match.

"The support for the two previous rugby matches has been superb and it appears that this match will be our first rugby sell-out.

"The Ricoh Arena is about bringing occasions such as this to Coventry and we are delighted about the positive effect this will have on the city."

The economic boost has also been welcomed by Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

She said: "We were always very confident that the Ricoh would bring major benefits to the city and the wider region when it was first built.

"This is another superb example of the city attracting an event here that it would not have had a hope of doing without the Ricoh.

"We are hearing from hotels that they are taking more bookings than normal and bars and restaurants are also predicting a boost in sales.

"And that is just a part of the wider economic benefit it will bring to Coventry and Warwickshire along with further national exposure for the area."