Tourist flood picked for last weeks of Rugby World Cup

Tourist firms report rugby crowds in Auckland are steady, but they hope the cup's final fortnight will bring a flood of visitors spending millions. Photo / Dean Purcell

Tourism operators expect the steady flow of Rugby World Cup visitors to Auckland to turn into a flood as the knockout stages get under way.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) said 95,000 international visitors from more than 100 countries were expected in New Zealand for the tournament - and 70-80 per cent would come to Auckland.

The event had the potential to generate up to $267 million of direct economic benefit for the city.

Rachael Dacy, general manager destination at Ateed, said there'd been a good flow of visitors to Auckland and sales at two central-city tourist information offices and a call centre were up 30 per cent for the first three weeks of September compared to last year.

People were booking the usual tourist attractions but also getting out to the broader region, Dacy said.

"We've certainly always anticipated and expected they would grow over time and our busiest point will be the last two to three weeks of the tournament when we really see some big flows, seeing our cruise ships all arrive.

"That's when our tourism operators are really going to see the positive returns of the tournament. But certainly already we're in a positive space."

Temporary campervan sites were proving popular, including one at the Westhaven Marina.

"The forward bookings on that are looking very strong as well, so that's a real step change for us in terms of campervan provision and number of visitors that are using campervans coming through Auckland."

Fullers Group marketing manager Delyth Morgan-Coghlan said the Auckland-based ferry company had been planning for an early onset of summer because of the Rugby World Cup but was had not expected Auckland to be overly busy while matches were taking place around the country.

"What we're expecting is that once all the rugby is focused in Auckland - for the semifinal period onwards - that's likely to bring a lot of visitors to town, both international and domestic," she said. "And also, that period ties into the school holiday period and Labour weekend."

Fullers had been working for about a year on likely scenarios of who was coming and when to offer services.

The company was not overloaded in terms of passenger numbers "but we're on the ball obviously as a result of being extremely busy on that opening day ... and just constantly working and ensuring that we've got all our bases covered so that people get a good experience".

Auckland Zoo's marketing and visitor services manager, Natalie Hansby, said they'd seen double the number of international visitors compared to last year.

"We see lots of Australian [rugby] jerseys for example," Hansby said.

"We're expecting the biggest increase to come in October, in those last couple of weeks of the tournament, when most are going to be here in Auckland."

The new Te Wao Nui precinct at the zoo, showcasing New Zealand's native flora and fauna, was proving a drawcard for overseas visitors, providing a snapshot of the country in one afternoon. The zoo had been included in the official visitor guide, but wasn't undertaking any specific promotions related to the World Cup.

"Other than that, we've had actually lots of people coming to see the mascots of some of the countries so obviously we've got springbok and wallaby here in the zoo."

SkyCity Entertainment Group said the tournament could boost company earnings by $20 million.

General manager of corporate communications Scott Campbell said in the first week of the tournament there'd been a number of visitors from Australia, England and Argentina.

"There's been quite a few Kiwis from outside Auckland popping in around All Blacks games."

Visitor numbers to the Sky Tower were up about 30 per cent on last year. "The bars and restaurants on Federal St are doing very well; they're the new ones we've invested in and they're busy most days," Campbell said.