Australia is preparing for 250,000 international rugby visitors and a projected A$1.3 billion spending spree. Hotels, airlines and tourism operators can almost hear the cash registers. New Zealand wants a slice too. But the real winners may not be quite so obvious.
A quarter of a million international rugby supporters are expected to descend on Australia next year, bringing an estimated A$1.3 billion in visitor spending and an apparently irresistible opportunity for anyone operating a hotel, restaurant, airline or tourism business.
The figures are impressive. How the money is distributed may prove more interesting.
When the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup kicks off in Perth on 1 October, Australia will begin six weeks of international sporting attention. Seven cities will share 52 matches, thousands of visitors will criss-cross the continent, and businesses will compete for their share of the travelling rugby dollar.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand has an intriguing proposition: benefit from the tournament without hosting a match.
Whether that translates into meaningful additional revenue remains another question.
A Billion-Dollar Forecast, Not a Bank Balance
World Rugby forecasts approximately 250,000 international visitors and A$1.3 billion in direct visitor expenditure during the tournament.
The expanded competition features 24 teams, with the final scheduled for Sydney on 13 November.
By October 2026, organisers reported 1.3 million tickets secured by purchasers from 164 countries, more than half the available inventory. That is encouraging evidence of demand, although ticket purchases are not the same as international arrivals.
The arithmetic deserves attention.
Dividing the projected expenditure by the expected overseas visitors produces approximately A$5,200 per international visitor. That compares two organiser forecasts, not an independently established average tourist spend.
It nevertheless illustrates the commercial ambition surrounding the tournament.
Government representatives have also cited broader economic benefits exceeding A$2 billion. Those projections involve different measures and cannot simply be added to the visitor expenditure figure.
Forecasts are useful. They are not receipts.
Hotels: The Temptation of the Premium Rate
For hotel operators, six weeks of international rugby represents an attractive prospect, particularly in cities hosting knockout matches.
Sydney has the semi-finals, bronze final and championship decider. Brisbane stages two quarter-finals, while Perth and Melbourne also feature in the knockout schedule.
Demand will not necessarily arrive evenly.
A hotel near a major stadium could command higher rates around key fixtures, while another property might see little change between matches.
The temptation to maximise room prices will be considerable.
But hotel operators face a familiar problem: a premium rate only works if somebody is prepared to pay it.
Excessive prices can shorten stays, redirect visitors to alternative accommodation or discourage ordinary holidaymakers altogether.
And an international sporting event does not automatically create six weeks of full occupancy.
For accommodation businesses, meaningful measures are additional room nights, average daily rates, and revenue retained after higher operating costs.
The industry should celebrate genuine growth, not merely expensive rooms occupied by visitors who would otherwise have travelled anyway.
Airlines Have Distances on Their Side
Australia’s geography presents airlines with an advantage that tournament organisers cannot easily eliminate.
A supporter following matches from Perth to Sydney and then Brisbane faces thousands of kilometres of travel.
That creates potential business for Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and international carriers connecting Australia with major rugby markets.
It also creates opportunities for airports, ground transport operators and car rental companies.
However, higher passenger demand does not guarantee extra flights.
Aircraft availability, operating costs, airport capacity and existing schedules will determine how much additional capacity airlines can provide.
Another consideration is that visitors spending more on domestic airfares may have less available for accommodation, restaurants and sightseeing.
A larger airline bill does not necessarily mean a larger overall holiday budget.
For travel advisers, coordinating these journeys could become one of the tournament’s more valuable services.
The Travel Agent’s Unexpected Advantage
Rugby supporters travelling halfway around the world are unlikely to need assistance purchasing a single airline ticket.
Organising several matches, accommodation in different cities, domestic connections and holiday extensions is another matter.
World Rugby has appointed official travel agents for authorised ticket-inclusive packages, including Events Travel and Sportsnet in Australia and All Blacks Travel & Hospitality in New Zealand.
The official provider directory also lists other authorised travel options.
Independent travel advisers can arrange flights, accommodation, touring and other services, while ensuring customers understand the distinction between ordinary travel bookings and official match-ticket packages.
Getting that distinction right is worth a lot.
Supporters should obtain official ticket-inclusive products through authorised providers and consult their trusted travel adviser first when planning the wider holiday.
The internet is excellent at displaying available flights. It is rather less comforting when a complicated itinerary collapses somewhere between Perth and Brisbane.
Queensland’s $212 Million Question
The regional distribution of the benefits deserves closer examination.
Queensland’s Government forecasts a A$212 million economic boost from the tournament, with approximately 150,000 interstate and international visitors expected for its 14 matches.
Brisbane will host ten fixtures and Townsville four.
That offers an opportunity beyond the established metropolitan hotel market.
Restaurants, regional attractions, transport operators and tourism businesses could attract visitors, extending their stays beyond match day.
Townsville, in particular, has an opportunity to introduce international supporters to North Queensland.
Yet a fixture does not guarantee a regional holiday.
Visitors might arrive the evening before a match and leave immediately afterwards. Others could stay longer, explore surrounding destinations, and spend with locally owned businesses.
The difference depends on destination marketing, transport connections, available accommodation and the appeal of experiences beyond the stadium.
A successful tournament should leave more than photographs of crowded grandstands.
New Zealand: No Matches, Plenty of Possibilities
New Zealand has perhaps the most interesting commercial position of all.
It will host no matches, incur none of Australia’s direct stadium-hosting obligations, yet could attract supporters seeking a second destination.
The All Blacks played Chile in Perth on 2 October, Australia in Sydney on 9 October and Hong Kong China in Melbourne on 15 October.
Those fixtures create obvious trans-Tasman travel opportunities.
International supporters could also combine Australian rugby with Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown or other New Zealand destinations.
Airlines, hotels, rental vehicle operators and tour companies have reasons to pursue that market.
But no verified estimate shows how much additional Rugby World Cup visitor spending New Zealand will receive.
Australia’s A$1.3 billion projection also can’t be treated as a trans-Tasman total.
New Zealand’s challenge is straightforward: persuade visitors that the journey is worth extending, rather than assuming proximity alone will deliver bookings.
Who Actually Keeps the Money?
The largest economic forecasts tend to attract the most enthusiastic headlines.
They rarely explain how much spending reaches independent restaurants, small accommodation businesses or regional operators.
International hotel groups, airlines and established travel companies may capture substantial revenue. Smaller businesses must work harder to secure their share.
There are also costs.
Additional staffing, transport congestion, higher supplier prices and displaced regular tourism can reduce the net benefit.
The Australian Government has committed A$90 million towards delivery and legacy programmes associated with the 2027 men’s and 2029 women’s tournaments and beyond, including rugby development initiatives.
That funding should not be mistaken for a tourism subsidy or added indiscriminately to visitor-spending forecasts.
The proper economic assessment comes afterwards, when actual arrivals, expenditure, operating costs and longer-term tourism outcomes can be measured.
The Scoreboard That Matters
Australia has an opportunity to showcase its destinations to a substantial international audience. New Zealand has an opportunity to turn that audience into additional visitors.
Neither outcome is automatic.
The businesses that succeed will offer sensible pricing, reliable transport, worthwhile experiences, and reasons to stay beyond the final whistle.
World Rugby can count tickets. Economists can calculate forecasts. Hotels can adjust their rates.
But visitors will determine the tourism industry’s most important result: how long they stay, where they spend, and whether they return.
The Webb Ellis Cup will be decided in Sydney.
The financial winners may take considerably longer to identify.
By: Stephen Peters – © 2026.
Read Time: 6 minutes.
Author Bio:
Stephen Peters has spent much of his career proving that the straight-and-narrow path is considerably overrated. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from the University of Queensland and a Master’s in Management, he first ventured into hospitality, working in and helping open several five-star hotels across Sydney and Asia.
After deciding he had experienced quite enough of five-star hospitality from the operational side of the desk, Stephen returned to technology, working with major US tech companies while based between Australia and Asia.
Then came the ultimate change of scenery. Stephen built his own yacht and, with his family aboard, sailed from Florida through the United States and its Great Lakes before crossing the Pacific to Asia. Several memorable years followed, exploring Indonesian waters before the Peters family eventually returned to Australia with considerably more sea miles, stories and perspective than when they left.
