How the cup could come a cropper

BY HAMISH RUTHERFORD

When Martin Snedden, the man charged with delivering the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand next year, arrives at work on Monday morning, he will be confronted with a sliding clock which has been counting down for more than a year: 66 Mondays to go.

The former cricket international turned head of New Zealand cricket uses the clock as "a great galvaniser" for his company, Rugby World Cup 2011, to reinforce that time is ticking and that there is only one chance for the organisation – and the country – to get it right.

"You don't get a second crack at it; there's no point having a debrief at the end of the Rugby World Cup and putting in place things to do better next time, because next time will be 20 or 30 years later, if it is at all."

As well as one of the best chances to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy for the first time since the inaugural event in 1987, the World Cup is a major opportunity for the New Zealand tourism industry, with Prime Minister John Key saying this week that the 85,000 international visitors expected for the event should be viewed as a minimum, and that a billion sets of eyes could watch the event.

Even if the World Cup itself comes off smoothly from a rugby perspective, Mr Snedden is well aware that this is only half of the battle, and that expectations about the possibilities could get out of control. Major sporting events were often detrimental to tourism in the host country immediately before and after, he said, while a badly managed event could cause longer term damage.

Speaking in his typically measured monotone this week Mr Snedden urged the Trenz conference – the premier trade event on the New Zealand tourism industry calendar – not to focus too much on the event itself, but to use it as a showcase for what the industry could offer. "We have to get it into our mindset that it's not just about the 45 days when you can make as much money as you can; the better opportunity is to regard the Rugby World Cup as the best international marketing opportunity that New Zealand has ever seen and to treat it as an investment for the decade afterwards."

Mr Snedden's legacy message may be lost in the excitement as the nation also counts down the days until the kick off on September 9 next year. Virtually the entire tourist industry is lining up to try to benefit directly from the windfall of thousands of tourists, many of them wealthy, rolling into the country during a what is typically a lull in demand.

Hospitality providers are planning a fine dining tent capable of seating several thousand on Eden Park's number two field, promising it will outclass even the efforts of the French at the last World Cup, while all cities that host matches are planning party areas and fan zones.

Cruise ships have been lined up to provide extra accommodation for Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland during the final stages of the cup.

Resorts in Central Otago and Coromandel Peninsula are striving to get tourists to base themselves away from the main centres to experience alternatives to the cities where the matches will be played.

David Perks, chief executive of Positively Wellington Tourism, is even planning to sing the praises of the region directly to the Welsh valleys later this year, in a bid to get fans to base themselves in the city for more than the weekend of Wales' crucial match against South Africa.

All of the individual jostling comes on top of a nationwide festival on a scale never seen before in this country, which will plug everything from blossom festivals in the Hawke's Bay, to Bluff oysters and fishing competitions in the Bay of Islands.

Festival director Briony Ellis said by the time of the event the programme could run to more than 1000 pages.

There are already warnings that the industry must not be too preoccupied by the World Cup, with fears that it could lead to a perception that, at the very least, New Zealand will be "full" during the second half of next year.

Tim Cossar, the chief executive of Tourism Industry Association said that even if 100,000 tourists came to the event, this would be less than half of New Zealand's monthly average.

"I don't want to belittle the Rugby World Cup, but there's a big industry that I think can be forgotten about some time when you're talking about big events and the sheer value of it can be lost when you're talking about big events," Mr Cossar said.

"Big events do produce a big bulge in demand, but really we need to ensure that those who do come here become walking advocates for New Zealand, end of story."

The aim of leaving visitors with only positive memories could come into conflict with a desire, particularly from some accommodation providers, to cash in on the tourist boom by charging premium rates around the time of the event.

While there have been extreme examples, with stories of bed and breakfast providers trying to charge $1600 a night, some hotels are expecting to charge a more modest, but still substantial, premium during the event.

Jan Garretson, a director of Green Spot, which buys in bulk from tourism operators on behalf of European travel companies, warned that capitalising too much on the boom in tourism could damage New Zealand's reputation.

"Every time people get stung by high rates or they are not informed well by the industry or whoever, they could create a perception that New Zealand is an expensive place to visit," Mr Garretson said.

Other European buyers warned that, with currencies in the region already near historical lows, New Zealand was already losing its attractiveness in terms of price.

Graeme Osborne, chief executive of Tourism Auckland, the city that hosts most of the premier matches of the event, said the agency's job in World Cup terms was mainly one of communication.

Having faced the perception that the city was full during the America's Cup, Tourism Auckland would spread the word that even during the semifinal and final stages, New Zealand's largest city would have room for people to stay.

He dismissed talk that the industry was too focused on one opportunity. "Are we obsessed with it? I think this is a big event, there's been a lot of investment put into it, I think the issue is making sure we get the right return from it," he said.

"But there is a lot of work going on for events before and after the cup. We've got the Cricket World Cup and the Rowing World Cup to think about too.

"This is one key element of the inventory, it is not the inventory."

- © Fairfax NZ News