With one year to go until England plays host to the world’s third largest sporting event, VisitEngland hails Rugby World Cup 2015 as a tremendous opportunity for tourism in England, with the potential to boost tourism spend, help grow the visitor economy and create jobs.
In its role as national tourism partner for England, VisitEngland has been working with the organising committee, England 2015, the host cities, venues and local authorities to harness the opportunity to encourage visitors from home and abroad to stay longer, explore wider and spend more.
Worth £2.1 billion to the economy
Hosting Rugby World Cup 2015 is estimated by Deloittes to be worth £2.1bn to the British economy. With 10 host cities in England (as well as Cardiff) and 41 team bases across the country, the tourism potential is spread far and wide with destinations and businesses set to benefit from the expected influx of international and domestic visitors.
With the Tournament taking place over 44 days, and with several days between each team’s fixtures, the vast domestic and international fan base will have the luxury of time to explore the host destinations and wider.
VisitEngland has been working closely with host destination organisations, venues and local authorities to ensure the best possible experience for all visitors, including spectators, media and teams.
Fantastic platform for host cities
Chairman of VisitEngland Lady Cobham CBE said: “We’re incredibly excited at the tourism potential for England with one year to go until the arrival of Rugby World Cup 2015. England is a world class tourist destination and this high profile event provides a fantastic platform for our host cities and destinations to encourage and entice visitors to explore the wonderful experiences on offer.
“This is not only an opportunity for the host destinations, but for the entire country, as fans from home and abroad assemble, and media from across the globe focus their spotlight on England as host to the world’s third biggest sporting event.”
Tickets on sale
On 12 September up to one million tickets for all 48 matches at Rugby World Cup 2015 went on sale. People can apply for tickets here. Prices start at £15 for adults and £7 for children. Matches that are oversubscribed will be balloted. People have until Monday 29 September to apply.
Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour
Over the past year VisitEngland has embarked on a series of activities to make the most of the tourism opportunities presented by Rugby World Cup 2015. In addition to working with partners across England, representatives from VisitEngland have been visiting key international markets as part of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour to promote England’s tourism offering. Earlier this year VisitEngland launched a series of animated films to mark the start of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour giving a preview of the sights, sounds and tastes of RWC2015 and England’s Host destinations.
For more information about Visit England click here
The Rugby World Cup (RWC) has the potential to generate over £2 billion in economic impact for the host country according to a report by the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, the business advisory firm. The report, commissioned by Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL), assessed the potential economic impact of the Rugby World Cup.
The full report is available to download from Deloitte’s website