Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) and Rugby Travel and Hospitality Ltd (RTH) are pleased to announce the appointed Official Travel Agents (OTAs) for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.
The appointment of leading agents from 10 nations and territories follows a comprehensive tender evaluation and selection process by RTH, the company appointed by RWCL to exclusively manage the global fan travel and hospitality programmes. The agents will ensure fans from around the world and in the UK are offered a wide choice of travel packages based on content and price.
Official fan travel packages for Rugby’s showcase event will go on sale in 2014 with full details regarding the range of packages, prices and on-sale date being announced before the end of the year.
Rugby World Cup OTA programme sales exceeded 180,000 for France 2007 and more than 100,000 for New Zealand 2011, and with more than 400,000 international visitors anticipated for the 48-match, six-week celebration of Rugby and the host nation, demand is expected to be unprecedented.
RWCL Managing Director Brett Gosper said: “The international travel and hospitality ticketing programme has been one of the major success stories for Rugby World Cup, proving a hit for sports fans from around the world with its unforgettable memories and exceptional experiences.”
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of 15 leading Official Travel Agents for Rugby World Cup 2015. This is a key tournament milestone and the announcement so far in advance of the tournament is another indication that we are on track to deliver an exceptional Rugby World Cup.”
“Fans who book through OTAs will also be playing their part in the growth of world Rugby, with the tournament’s commercial programme providing the financial engine that enables the IRB to invest record sums in high performance programmes, tournament and development structures to increase participation and competitiveness within the world Game.”
RTH Chief Executive Andrew Burton said: “All of the OTAs appointed are committed to providing the best possible service and tournament experience for Rugby fans throughout the world who will travel to England in 2015.”
“With more than 400,000 supporters expected to travel to England for the tournament, fans will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of match ticket inclusive supporter tours, offering a wide range of ways to experience the tournament in 2015.”
Rugby World Cup 2015 will be the eighth tournament and is on course to write another memorable chapter in the RWC success story. With just under two years to go, operational planning is on track, the match schedule is confirmed and the commercial programme set to be finalised in record time.
Full details regarding the tournament ticketing programme, including prices and on-sale dates, will be announced via www.rugbyworldcup.com
The appointed OTAs are:
Argentina
Delfos Tours
Tower Travel
Australia
Flight Centre Australia
Gullivers Sport Travel
Qantas Holidays Ltd
Sportsnet Holidays
Europe
ATP Events
France
Couleur Rugby
Eventeam
Great Britain
England Rugby Travel
Ireland
Club Travel
Japan
Japan Travel Bureau
New Zealand
All Blacks Tours
North America
Great Atlantic Travel
South Africa
SA Rugby Travel
About Rugby World Cup: Rugby World Cup is the financial engine behind unprecedented investment and growth in Rugby worldwide. The net Rugby World Cup surplus from the commercial success of France 2007 and New Zealand 2011 has enabled the International Rugby Board to invest more than £150 million in the Game between 2009 and 2012 and commit an anticipated injection of more than £180 million between 2013 and 2016 to underwrite a large range of major funding initiatives including annual national Union grants and strategic investments focusing on growing participation and increasing competition across all 118 national Member Unions affiliated to the IRB.
About England 2015: Rugby World Cup 2015, hosted in England between 18 September and 31 October, will be a celebration of Rugby and its unique character-building values, exciting and inspiring the nation and the world to play and support the Game. England Rugby 2015 are the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015 and will deliver the six-week tournament, hosted in 10 English cities and in Cardiff, Wales. Thirteen match venues will play host to the 48 games that will celebrate and engage more than 2.5million spectators, including over 400,000 international travelling fans.
About Rugby Travel & Hospitality (RTH):RTH is a joint venture between multi-national catering and support service provider Sodexo and corporate hospitality, sports travel and event management specialists the Mike Burton Group. Following the successful delivery of the Official Travel and Hospitality programmes for RWC 2007 in France and RWC 2011 in New Zealand, RTH has been re-appointed the exclusive rights for the management of the travel and hospitality programmes for both RWC 2015 in England and RWC 2019 in Japan.
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