Rugby World Cup in France

2007 Rugby World Cup

The 2007 Rugby World Cup ended on Saturday, 20 October with South Africa’s victory over England by 15 points to 6 at the Stade de France in Paris.

For over a month, the Rugby World Cup was a sporting celebration which saw the French public sharing the passion of 20 teams and over 350,000 foreign supporters who had come to cheer on their national sides.

Everyone has acclaimed it a huge success on every front.

As Luc Chatel, Minister of State for Tourism, says, commercially the World Cup certainly had an impact: the 350,000 foreign supporters hugely contributed to the boom in the hotel sector, which, according to initial estimates earned €150 million more than in September 2006, with 3 or 4 star hotels in some cities such as Marseille reporting a room occupancy of almost 100% around match days.

All the other host cities benefited too, with our foreign visitors not just going to the games or watching on the screens set up near the grounds, but discovering the variety of our country, from the Bordeaux vineyards to the Marseille bistros, and local tourist offices saw huge increases in enquiries compared with September 2006: in Bordeaux (+40%), Lyon (+35%) and Montpellier (+130%).

Demonstrating her flair for hospitality and organizational abilities, France fulfilled the expectations of the Rugby Federation, competing teams and above all the general public. Indeed 85% of the foreign supporters questioned said that, having had a taste of what France has to offer, they were keen to return for a longer stay to enjoy her great tourist attractions. Indeed the spin-offs from the Rugby World Cup are expected to continue for years to come.

Links:

France 24 - Rugby 2007
Rugby World Cup in France (September 7 - October 20, 2007)
Campaign to promote the French language to foreign supporters : “Yes, I Speak Rugby"