Tourist spending up over quarter finals weekend

Argentina's rugby fans during the quarter final between the All Blacks and Argentina at Eden Park. Photo / Ron Burgin

Foreign tourists opened their wallets wide during the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, with spending up almost $5 million on the same weekend last year.

Figures released by eftpos provider Paymark today showed foreign tourist spending in Auckland and Wellington, which hosted two quarter-final matches each, topped $4.7m from Friday to Sunday.

Spending in the capital was up $1.9m - a welcome boost to the local economy, which had seen modest growth during the tournament.

Paymark head of sales and marketing Paul Whiston said tourists would have been a big factor in the extra 20.4 per cent spent at pubs, clubs and restaurants in the city over the weekend.

The extra spending included a surge on Sunday - as the Wallabies beat the Springboks 11-9 at Wellington Regional Stadium - when hospitality spending rose 43.7 per cent.

Accommodation spending was modest, up 5.6 per cent, which suggested a lot of fans pre-paid for their rooms.

Car rental spending was up 7.9 per cent, while clothing stores saw a 28.8 per cent increase on Sunday.

Mr Whiston said the extra spending followed weeks of slow growth for the region.

"The Wellington region ranked low for total spending growth through Paymark during September and has remained weak in early October.

"Between Friday and Sunday, it's fair to say that cup fans added a much appreciated boost to the capital's economy."

Foreign tourist spending in Auckland and Northland was up 66 per cent, or $2.8m the same three days.

An extra $2m was spent on hospitality, peaking on the Sunday when the All Blacks beat Argentina 33-10 - up 20.2 per cent. Accommodation spending was up 10.8 per cent over the three days.

Total foreign card spending through Paymark's network was $172.7m since the cup started, up $46.9m on the same period last year.

Mr Whiston said hospitality had been the big winner in terms of foreign spending, but tourists were also spending their money on things outside pubs, clubs, rental cars, and accommodation.

"However, general spending patterns are still modest - perhaps while the tourists are making the most of the cup's hospitality, Kiwis are continuing to keep a close eye on their dollars," he said.