The forecast for the event, which runs from September 9 to October 23, is derived from an analysis of all Global Distribution Systems’ travel agency bookings data computed by Amadeus.

Air bookings made up to August 26 indicates that international passenger arrivals to New Zealand will increase by 25.4% during the tournament, compared to the same period in 2010.

About 72% of all the tourists are from the world’s major rugby playing nations, with Australia providing the largest number of visitors – +14.8% compared to 2010. Following behind are the United Kingdom (+56.2%), France (+449.8%) and South Africa (+503.8%). Interestingly, traveller numbers from the USA decrease compared to 2010.

International arrivals are expected to spike four days before the first match between New Zealand and Tonga (see Chart 1, Point 1). One of the highest spikes in arrivals is expected on October 7 (see Chart 1, Point 3), which coincides with the start of the quarterfinals.

While most long haul travel is booked for the pools phase of the competition, almost half of the total arrivals expected from South Africa occur during the final phase of the competition, suggesting a high degree of optimism about the Springboks’ performance.

David Brett (pictured right), President, Amadeus Asia Pacific said Forward Keys could enable hotels in New Zealand to anticipate the spike in visitors and more effectively leverage their commercial efforts.

“The analysis shows 2,000 passengers will arrive from France two days prior to the game with New Zealand, suggesting an opportunity for hotels to tailor their promotional efforts specifically to this customer segment,” he said.

Olivier Jager, Forward Data’s CEO added that customers around the world could significantly increase operational efficiency and maximise profitability by anticipating visitor arrivals, understanding their length of stays and where they come from.