KEY POINTS:
Tourism bosses started planning for the next rugby World Cup a year before the just completed tournament kicked off.
About 70,000 overseas visitors are expected to descend on New Zealand in 2011 to cheer their country's rugby teams on and Tourism New Zealand has already begun trying to
run that score up.
The controversial "giant rugby ball" promotion in Paris saw thousands of fans get a taste of what New Zealand has to offer - other than world-class rugby. At the same time the Frontrow Club - an email campaign fronted by Tana Umaga - was launched.
"Our strategy is twofold," Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said.
"One, can we get people down beforehand because they are interested to come? If not, can we get them to do more while they are here?
"The next part of our communication programme is linked around where the teams are going to be based when they come down. When that decision is made, we will then use that as a way of communicating to those people what there is to see and do in that region."
France, which gets 80 million tourists a year, had 350,000 visitors specifically for the rugby World Cup.
In contrast, New Zealand is expecting 70,000 cup tourists - a smaller number, but a higher percentage of annual visitor numbers.
Major events like the British and Irish Lions tour and the 2006 Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival had shown New Zealand could do a good job of hosting rugby tourists, Mr Hickton said. Trials like that meant New Zealand was ready for the true test - a rugby World Cup.
"There will be challenges but it's not like it will completely overpower the country. It's just a matter of being a little innovative," Mr Hickton said.
"At the time of the rugby World Cup, the total number of tourists in New Zealand will be about the same as we would have in February or March. Tourism is our number one industry: it's not as if we can't handle this number of tourists.
"At the time the rugby World Cup is on we will have more people in the country who are not interested in rugby than who are."
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Fiona Luhrs said the Lions tour had been a good dry-run for the rugby World Cup and the proper infrastructure should be in place by 2011.
"I'd be very confident that it will work," Ms Luhrs said.
"In September last year we had 168,000 visitors, so add 70,000 on top of that. In December last year we had 319,000 visitors, so there is definitely room from a capacity point of view - more than enough room.
"What will be a little bit different is that a number of them will be trying to get to the same place at the same time."
Work would need to be done to ensure enough public transport was available to get tourists from game to game, Ms Luhrs said.
The length of the tournament meant more than just the big cities would cash in.
Likewise, more than obvious candidates, like hoteliers and attraction owners, would be expecting a windfall - retailers, vineyards, food outlets could also expect a rugby-fuelled increase in turnover.
"It really will get right out into heartland New Zealand," Ms Luhrs said.
"You are right at the end of the low season in September and you are really hanging out for visitors to come and start giving you some more cash."
