Booming Sales for Travel and Hospitality Packages for Rugby World Cup 2011
28/9/2011
Sodexo is delighted to announce that sales of travel and hospitality packages for Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) have exceeded expectations.
Rugby Travel & Hospitality (NZ) Ltd (RTH), a joint venture between Sodexo and Mike Burton Group, was appointed in 2007 to exclusively create, manage and implement the official travel and hospitality programme for this year’s RWC 2011.
The official travel programme went on sale on 1 January 2010 and has exceeded forecasts with over 110,000 tickets ordered to date and RTH are on target to sell a total of 50,000 hospitality packages.
Aidan Connolly, Chief Executive of Sodexo in the UK and Ireland and Chairman of RTH, said: “We are delighted with the successful sales for both travel and hospitality packages and are so proud to play a part in one of the world’s largest sporting events. The first couple of weeks of the Tournament have gone very well and we have received excellent feedback about the service and quality of the food.”
Official Travel Programme
RTH appointed a global network of official travel agents who are responsible for selling a wide variety of travel packages to meet the varying needs of international Rugby fans wishing to visit New Zealand for the Tournament. The 20 official travel agents come from all corners of the world, including Australia, France, United Kingdom, America, Argentina, Japan and New Zealand.
In addition, three official cruise vessels have been appointed for RWC 2011 to provide much sought after accomodation for the latter stages of the Tournament.
Ticket orders confirm more than 30,000 international visitors will visit New Zealand through the official travel programme, with an average of 3.5 tickets per person were purchased through the travel programme.
Australia, as forecast, is providing the strongest market with 36% of the ticket sales. France has been the real surprise with French travel agents accounting for 23% of all orders. New Zealand and the UK account for 13% and 12% of sales respectively, with the USA and South Africa accounting for 7% and 5%. The remaining 4% of tickets are from the rest of the World.
Official Hospitality Programme
RTH designed a range of hospitality packages for RWC 2011 to suit all needs and budgets, with both on-site and off-site hospitality available.
While the official hospitality programme caters for all 48 matches of the Tournament, demand is traditionally focused around the knock out stages.
The flagship venue of the RWC 2011 official hospitality programme is the stunning Eden Park Pavilion, a luxurious purpose-built venue convenintely located in the grounds of Eden Park in Auckland. The Pavilion features six restaurants and a central atrium, and has capacity for 3,000 seated guests.
During the tournament, Eden Park Pavilion will be serving a four-course fine dining and entertainment experience embracing the best of New Zealand. After their meal, guests only have a short stroll to their Category A undercover seats for the match, before returning post match for another serving of world-class hospitality and entertainment.
Of the 50,000 hospitality packages sold, approximately 15,000 will be Eden Park Pavilion packages.
RTH managed the delivery of the award-winning official travel and hospitality programme for RWC 2007 in France, and has also been awarded the contract for RWC 2015 and RWC 2019.
