World Sport Tourism Congress Announced to Coincide with 2011 Rugby World Cup Climax

TUI Travel’s Specialist & Activity Sector has teamed up with top leaders in sports tourism to launch a conference, the World Sport Tourism Congress, which will be located alongside the climax of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand.

The WSTC will take place between 10-14 October on the luxury cruise ship – the P&O Pacific Dawn – and will comprise of four days of inspirational panel debates, leading-edge presentations and priceless networking opportunities, all conducted whilst cruising in style around New Zealand’s beautiful Bay of Islands.

The fully-inclusive cruise package departs from Queen’s Wharf, Auckland on 10 October, returning on 14 October in time for the Rugby World Cup Semi Finals.

Themed “Sharing the Sport and Tourism Boom”, WSTC presents an opportunity to network and engage with industry’s elite, gain invaluable insights from the world’s leading experts and meet face-to-face with the key Sport Tourism buyers as deals are brokered for future sporting events.

Confirmed speakers includes Jeanine Pires (Minster Special Advisor, Rio 2016 Olympics & former President, Embratur), Geoffrey Lipman (Advisor to Secretary General UNWTO), Campbell Jamieson (Commercial Director, International Cricket Council) and Darren Mee (COO, TUI Travel PLC, Specialist & Activity Sector).

Access to the event includes access to all sessions on the WSTC programme, four nights accommodation on board the P&O Pacific Dawn, exclusive VIP receptions and gala dinners, very special networking events and excursions as the ship cruises around New Zealand’s North Island.

With WSTC Delegate places strictly controlled and limited, only senior executives will qualify to take part in this opportunity at the heart of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

In recent years the integration of sport, sporting events and spectator and participation travel has seen the sector become the industry’s fastest growing, and is now worth in excess of US$600 billion, and an astonishing 14 percent of overall travel and tourism receipts.

The strength of the market was illustrated recently, with confirmed sales of one million tickets for the Rugby World Cup. WSTC is designed to both reflect this staggering growth and contribute further to it, and help delegates reap maximum benefit from this sector.