More than 20,000 int'l rugby fans are preparing to "head to New Zealand for the Lions Tour," according to Holly Ryan of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. With 10 games scheduled around the country, Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development said that local organizations "were planning wine and beer events, business seminars and other opportunities to show off what New Zealand had to offer." ATEED External Relations GM Steve Armitage said, "We're looking at this as an opportunity to promote [New Zealand] as a place to do business and invest in. It's very easy to measure the returns in relation to the number of visitors [the tour] brings in, but we're trying to make sure events like this have long-term benefits." The first since '05, the Lions Tour kicks off on June 3, continuing for "just over a month." The previous tour brought about 20,000 overseas visitors and a more than NZ$120M "cash injection" to the New Zealand economy -- "something the country is hoping to top." All Blacks Hospitality CEO Warren Barclay previously said that his firm "had noted strong demand for accommodation in Wellington and Auckland in particular over the month of the tour," saying that while there would be a "strain on accommodation at test venues," other regions outside the main center would "likely do well out of the event." Accommodation and tourism "were not the only sectors likely to profit from the tour, with visitors likely to take advantage of New Zealand's hospitality and retail scene too." Hospitality New Zealand Advocacy & Policy Manager Dylan Firth said that int'l rugby fans -- "two-thirds of whom were expected to come from Britain and Ireland -- were likely to spend more money," with their currency "going further in New Zealand" and having traveled "so far to attend the games" (NZ HERALD, 5/2).
'TOTALLY CONFIDENT': In Auckland, Ben Hill reported New Zealand Rugby is "totally confident" of selling out the Blues clash with the British & Irish Lions in Auckland, "despite 10,000 tickets remaining available for the game" a month from kickoff. The match will be "one of three held at Eden Park, with the other two being the first and third games of the test series between the tourists and the All Blacks." NZR Lions Series GM Nigel Cass said, "We've sold more tickets for the Blues than any other non-test match, but it's the biggest venue. There's 10,000 tickets to sell in a month, they will go" (NZ HERALD, 5/2).
