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Australia braces for Europe influx
By CNN's Grant Holloway
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The British are coming ... and so are the Irish, New Zealanders and South Africans. But for Australia's tourism and hospitality industry, an Olympic-style business boom spurred by the Rugby World Cup is wishful thinking. The Australian Rugby Union originally expected around 55,000 international visitors to six-week the event. But that number has been downgraded to about 40,000 with most of these -- some 17,500 -- from Britain and Europe. New Zealand and the Pacific nations account for another 10,000 visitors. African nations, particularly South Africa, should provide another 7,000 supporters. A combination of high accommodation and ticket prices, security fears and the SARS outbreak in Asia earlier this year may all have had an impact on visitor numbers for the tournament. Even worse, some tourism operators are saying thousands of non-rugby tourists have deferred or cancelled planned visits to Australia because of inflated hotel prices and reduced choice caused by the Cup influx. Despite this, organizers are confident most matches will be sold out, with Australian fans snapping up the tickets early earmarked for overseas purchasers. WildcardAnother wildcard factor is the number of visitors from near neighbor New Zealand. Kiwi tourist numbers are particularly hard to measure, with many thousands expected to have eschewed high-priced official match and accommodation packages. Instead, canny New Zealanders have used the addresses of friends and relatives based in Australia to purchase match tickets online. The same friends and relatives will also likely be helping meet the accommodation needs, albeit a fold-out sofa bed or a mattress on the living-room floor. Domestic travel related to the event is a different story however, with the Australian Rugby Union pleased and surprised by the numbers of Australians prepared to travel within the country to attend matches. Games are being held in 11 venues in 10 cities and an estimated 100,000 Australians will be travelling interstate to attend at least one of the 48 matches.
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