The official supporter tour packages were launched on January 1, while the hospitality packages went on sale on February 1.

Two months into the programme, record levels of interest and sales have been recorded compared to the same stage for previous Rugby World Cups, according to chief executive of Rugby Travel and Hospitality Limited (RTH) Andrew Burton.

"Within the first month of our hospitality packages being on sale, we received unprecedented demand with more than triple the level of interest at this stage than for previous tournaments," said Burton.

"We believe that this response indicates that the Rugby World Cup 2015 tours and hospitality programmes offer flexibility, pricing options and unique experiences that appeal to both travelling and corporate rugby fans."

Ten of the 15 official travel agents for England 2015 have been selling packages since the start of the year, while the other five are to due launch next month.

This will be the eighth staging of rugby's showpiece event and organisers England 2015 are predicting it will be the biggest yet, with 2.3 million tickets expected to be sold for the 48 matches taking place across 13 venues from September 18 to October 31.

More than 400,000 international visitors are expected to travel to England and Wales for the tournament.

Australian fans will be among the expected 400,000 international visitors to England and Wales for RWC 2015 ©Getty Images



"Rugby World Cup 2015 is on track to be an exceptional event on and off the field of play," said Rugby World Cup Limited managing director Brett Gosper.

"As England prepares to welcome the world for a six-week festival of rugby and, its character-building values and the host nation, these early sales indicators further underscore the tremendous strength and appeal of Rugby World Cup as one of the must-see global sporting events."

Revenue from the supporter tour and hospitality packages makes up around 20 per cent of the income generated by the Rugby World Cup.

Between 2013 and 2016, the International Rugby Board (IRB) says it will be investing £180 million ($301 million/€217 million) into participation, player welfare, tournament and high performance programmes across its 119 member unions.

Last year, Gosper claimed that England 2015 is set to be the most commercially successful to date and will generate more than £150 million ($240 million/€179 million) in surplus funds that will be invested back into the game.

England 2015 says it will make further tickets available to people involved at the grassroots level of the game via the "rugby fans through rugby clubs" scheme in May and June.

In September, the general ticket sales application process begins with any remaining tickets being made available for real-time sales in November and December 2014.

To view the range of travel packages available for England 2015, click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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