British Lions to kick goals for Australian tourism
A record number of fans are expected to travel on the British and Irish Lions rugby tour of Australia in 2013, according to Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy.
Official ticket-inclusive travel packages went on sale in the UK, Ireland and Europe to the general public this week, with Lions Rugby Travel – the official travel company – confirming that they have more than 26,000 intentions to travel from British and Irish rugby supporters for the nine-match tour.
“Based on the phenomenal take up so far, interest in the tour is only going to get bigger and bigger,” McEvoy said.
The British and Irish Lions will play nine matches during their six-week tour, including three Test matches and games against all five Australian Super 15 rugby teams.
The three Test matches in 2013 against the Wallabies will occur in Brisbane (June 22), Melbourne (June 29) and Sydney (July 6), with the tour also featuring games in Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.
McEvoy said the popularity of the British and Irish Lions Tour, together with the future Ashes Test cricket series being hosted in Australia, provide significant benefits for tourism, both in terms of additional overseas visitors but also as a platform to promote destination Australia more widely.
Ian Jarrett
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