Media release
26 October 2011

Campervan parks get thumbs up from travelling Rugby fans

Thousands of visitors to Auckland during Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) enjoyed a unique and memorable stay thanks to the success of campervan accommodation.

Existing commercial campervan sites – and new, temporary sites created especially for the Tournament – all proved popular, with peaks on match weekends.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) began planning more than two years ago for a predicted influx of campervans during RWC 2011. General Manager Destination, Rachael Dacy, is pleased with the positive uptake by campervan visitors, particularly of the temporary sites, which provided secure and well-equipped places to meet the increased demand.

“Westhaven Marina is a great example of how campervan visitors embraced the facilities we provided. More than 2000 campervans were accommodated during the Tournament and the site reached capacity every weekend,” says Ms Dacy.

“What’s more encouraging is that the visitors created a real community and made the most of the on-site and surrounding facilities, including the award-winning ablution block and nearby cafes and bars.”

ATEED upgraded car parks and a toilet block at Westhaven’s Pier J and Pier Z to support the temporary site during the Tournament. The revamped facility will remain as a great legacy for marina visitors to use after RWC 2011.

“The temporary, overnight Alexandra Park site also proved to be a hit,” says Ms Dacy. “Close to 300 campervans occupied this site for the first France versus New Zealand clash on 24 September and it was steady on subsequent match nights, with visitors taking advantage of the free, park and ride service to and from Eden Park.”

Positive feedback from visiting Rugby fans has been fantastic, particularly about the Westhaven site. One couple from Western Australia said New Zealand had a very high standard of campgrounds, and “Westhaven beat them all”. Another couple from Wales commented that the “location was perfect” and a group of travelling English Rugby fans remarked that they “felt very safe here”.

Existing commercial sites in Auckland also saw bumper crowds during RWC 2011 match weekends.

Chief Executive of the Holiday Accommodation Parks Association of New Zealand, Fergus Brown, says the sector had benefited immensely during RWC 2011, with the Auckland region doing especially well for September and October.

“Auckland parks reported very good occupancy over the whole of the Tournament,” says Mr Brown. “This stepped up a notch during the final two weekends, with most parks running at 100 per cent capacity and having good levels of occupancy midweek. We are also very pleased with how campervan visitors travelled around nearby regions, such as Northland and Coromandel in between the weekend games.”

Kate Meldrum, General Manager Marketing and Customer Experience for Tourism Holdings Limited, who manage the majority of campervan rentals in Auckland, says they had been very busy but happy with results.

Ms Meldrum said figures for September showed an 82 per cent increase in pickups from their Auckland branch compared to last year. October bookings were on par with figures from last year and total figures were in line with expectations.

ENDS

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