Almost all Kiwis caught Rugby World Cup action - survey

MEDIA RELEASE

Date: 14 Decemebr 2011

Almost all Kiwis caught Rugby World Cup action - survey

We knew Rugby World Cup fever was contagious but the full extent the sporting bug spread has been revealed.

The Fly Buys Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller survey to be released by the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) next week found 93% of Kiwis aged 18 and over watched at least some of this year’s Rugby World Cup.

The excitement of the Cup left Kiwis hungry for more, with 41% of Kiwis watching or attending more games than they originally intended to before the tournament started.

Fly Buys Chief Executive Lance Walker says the fact that more than nine out of 10 Kiwis caught some Cup action demonstrates the massive affect it had on the country.

“We can pat ourselves on the back for hosting a wonderful event that clearly caught the imagination of almost every New Zealander. It was a proud two months for Kiwis and an even prouder moment when the All Blacks took out the Cup in that nail biting finale,” he says.

The survey also found 9% of Kiwis went to see an All Blacks victory parade and two out of five of us (40%) watched them on television.

Colmar Brunton Chief Executive Harry Pappafloratos says the parades in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch gave Kiwis an opportunity to share in the victory celebrations and revel in the glory of a World Cup win.

“The fact that nearly one in 10 of us went to a parade is incredible. The scenes of absolute jubilation will be cemented in our memories for a long time,” he says.

The survey also found 36% of New Zealanders changed their usual Labour Day weekend plans to watch the Rugby World Cup final.

TIA Chief Executive Tim Cossar says it is great to see how much New Zealanders enjoyed hosting international visitors here for Rugby World Cup.

“More than 133,000 international visitors came to enjoy the event, and they helped create a fantastic atmosphere throughout the entire country. Second only to the games themselves, this was the aspect of Rugby World Cup that New Zealanders really revelled in. It shows how much we love sharing New Zealand, and our favourite game, with the rest of the world,” he says.

ENDS

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