RWC fuels campervan demand

Australian car rental supplier DriveAway Holidays says its supply of larger vehicles throughout next year's seven-week Rugby World Cup tournament is virtually extinguished. Photo / Thinkstock

World Cup fever is fuelling demand for motorhomes and campervans, with supply tight across many hire companies.

However operators have poured cold water on suggestions they are almost booked out, as one operator has claimed it is.

The Australian car rental supplier DriveAway Holidays says its supply of larger vehicles throughout the seven-week tournament are virtually extinguished, and rental cars are moving just as quickly.

The demand for vehicles extends prior to and beyond the Cup itself, with booking numbers in the two weeks before and the month after suggesting people want to continue the good times, the company said.

Maui Motorhomes spokesperson Kate Meldrum said bookings were steady, but she didn't expect the surge in interest to occur until later in the year, mainly because airfares for the cup weren't yet on sale.

"The Six Nations is due to take place in the northern hemisphere in the autumn so perhaps people are waiting to see how their team will do too," she said.

Meldrum said there had been strong demand for four and six berth motorhomes during the cup period.

Pacific Horizon marketing manager Neil Kilby said the French and UK markets were showing the most interest, while bookings from Australia were also coming in.

Generally people were opting to hire a vehicle for 21 days or more so they could follow their team around the country during the cup, rather than travelling the country post cup, he said.

Most operators said they were setting peak rates on vehicle hires during the Rugby World Cup.

- with wire services