Rugby World Cup Tourists set to Spend at Least £1,176.33 a Week in Auckland Cheering on Teams

EDINBURGH, Scotland, September 14, 2011 -

Sports fans visiting Auckland for the Rugby World Cup will need spending money of at least £1,174.17 a week, in addition to the cost of their tickets, according to analysis from Sainsbury’s Travel Money.

As fans prepare for the world’s largest celebration of rugby, Sainsbury’s Finance is encouraging them to shop around for the best deals to ensure they get the most for their money.

Sainsbury’s Travel Money is running a currency sale during the Rugby World Cup (until 10^th October 2011), with reduced rates and commission free exchange. Rugby-goers exchanging £1,000 at today’s rate of exchange at Sainsbury’s in store Travel Money Bureaux or online will get an extra NZ$40.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of the £1,174.17 potential cost will go on hotel rooms as demand pushes prices up by an average of £213.75 a week.

Tourists should however find Auckland and New Zealand offer great value compared to the UK, over the course of a week’s stay a holiday maker should be able to have an evening meal with wine/beer for around £27.30, and buy a beer in a bar for around £2. The table below sets out the estimated costs for a 7 day trip.

                    Expense                      Estimated cost per week
            Hotel room for 7 nights                     GBP866.85
        7 x evening meals with wine/beer                GBP201.70
                  7 x lunches                            GBP27.50
         14 x bottles of mineral water                   GBP14.66
                  14 x coffees                           GBP26.76
           14 x city centre bus fares                    GBP9.53
           14 x small beers in a bar                    GBP29.333
                     TOTAL                              GBP1176.33

David Barrett of Sainsbury’s Travel Money, said: “The Rugby World Cup will be the trip of a lifetime for many. With many fans shelling out a small fortune on tickets and feeling the high demand for accommodation on their wallets, shopping around for the best deal on travel money could make a big difference, particularly for visitors looking to extend their trip with flights to Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Middle East and other Asia Pacific destinations.”

Sainsbury’s Travel Money is urging tourists to plan ahead to avoid unnecessary currency charges. Recent research from Sainsbury’s Travel Money revealed that £14.2 billion was withdrawn by British holidaymakers on debit cards and credit cards whilst travelling abroad in the past year, costing holidaymakers £391 million in withdrawal fees.

The New Zealand Dollar offer will be available across all Sainsbury’s UK stores with Travel Money Bureaux, online and via the phone currency ordering service. To find out more about Sainsbury’s Travel Money log onto www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/travel

Estimated costs based on analysis of online pricing data taken from a combination of the Hotels.com, Travel Puppy and Lonely Planet websites, and using the XE.com Currency Converter on 30.08.11 when one pound sterling was worth NZD 1.9.

Media enquiries: Andrew Adie, +44(0)20-7282-1094