RWC 2011 ticket sales hit NZ$200m mark

Ticket sales revenue for Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) now totals NZ$200m (exc GST) which means Tournament Organiser Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 2011) has now reached 75% of its revenue target.

This reflects NZ$31 million of sales that have occurred over the last six weeks.

"This is a significant milestone," said RNZ 2011 CEO Martin Snedden. "It is a great place to be with the final ticket phase beginning on Monday.

"Prior to RWC 2011, the highest revenue-generating event in New Zealand’s history was the 2005 British & Irish Lions Tour, which grossed NZ$24m. As of today, we have achieved eight times the ticket revenue for that event.

RNZ 2011 is forecasting total sales revenue of NZ$268.5m based on expected ticket sales of 1.35m from the 48 Tournament matches.

"We have now sold just over 900,000 tickets which underlines how popular this event is going to be."

Recent ticket sales have been driven by the resale of tickets to the eight matches reallocated as a result of the Christchurch earthquake and further offers of tickets to those who entered the ballots for the semi-finals and Final, as well as further sales of travel and hospitality packages.

"This coming Monday, at 9am, the final phase of ticketing for RWC 2011 gets underway. We’re urging fans to quickly take advantage of this sales period and secure the seats they want to witness Rugby at its best.

"There will be tickets available for most matches other than the Final. This includes the semi-finals and the quarter-finals.

"For most of the matches on sale Monday, there are still lots of tickets available in the lowest priced seating categories. For more than half the pool matches this means that fans can buy tickets for as little as NZ$31 or NZ$41 and take their kids for half that price.

"This could be the last time we will see the 20 best teams in the world battling it out for the Webb Ellis Cup in our own backyard, so we hope Kiwi fans in particular seize the opportunity to get ringside seats at the biggest sporting event of 2011."

The public ticket sales period begins at 9am on Monday, July 4 with tickets for the pool matches available online at www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets. Tickets for knock-out matches, excluding the Final, go on sale Tuesday July 5.

Fans can guarantee Finals tickets by purchasing Corporate Hospitality Packages from Official Corporate Hospitality Agents or Travel Packages from Official Travel Agents.

"We are expecting a strong response from fans when the final ticket phase opens. As we saw in France in 2007 and Australia in 2003, many fans make up their minds much closer to the Tournament so we are optimistic that fans will respond in the same way."

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "This key announcement truly represents the final countdown to the Tournament and I am sure that there will be strong demand for tickets. RWC 2011 is on track to be a successful Tournament that New Zealanders and the global Rugby family will be proud of."

For more information, contact:www.rth2011.com

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