By Laura Frykberg
At least 70,000 fans are expected to travel to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
According to two top Australian sporting travel agents, New Zealand hotels are charging too much – which is putting Aussie fans off. They say room rates have skyrocketed by as much as 600 percent.
Bruce Robertson, chief executive of the Hospitality Association says Australians have double-standards.
“I think this is all a bit of an Australian beat-up really,” he told TV3’s Sunrise programme this morning.
“It’s a bit cheeky coming from the Australians – who charged the exact same sort of rates during the Olympics and last World Cup.”
Mr Robertson says the examples the agents are using are extreme cases and, given the popularity of the game, the prices are reasonable.
“That was exactly the sort of prices that the top Sydney hotels were charging during the Olympics so, at the top end of the market, that’s certainly not unreasonable,” he says.
That’s been backed up by the official ticket and tour partner of the Australian Rugby Union.
The Independent Chair of the New Zealand Hotel Council, Jennie Langley, says she will talk with her members to set clear expectations of what they can and can’t charge.
The council says if any hotels try to charge exorbitant rates they run the risk of ending up with empty rooms.
Watch the full Sunrise interview with Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson
3 News