"This is a very good position to be in," said the chief executive officer of organising body Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd (RNZ 2011) Martin Snedden.

"We still have a lot left to do, but event preparations, coupled with ticket sales to date and strong international visitor projections [85,000] mean we are getting ourselves in good shape to host the tournament.

"Since the ticket sales programmes were launched earlier this year a total of 864,000 tickets have now been sold, taking us to just short of two thirds of our overall target of around 1.45 million sales across the 48 matches.

"We are on track to achieve the forecast total ticket sales revenue of $268 million (£126.6 million).

"We knew this sales target was always going to be a big leap into the unknown given that the biggest grossing event previously in New Zealand's history was the 2005 Lions tour, during which the NZRU grossed $24 million (£11.3 million) from ticket sales.

"We've now achieved seven times that figure.

"In the end, we'll need to do 11 times that amount to hit budget."

The official travel and hospitality programme is also performing strongly, with sales to date exceeding initial forecasts.

Over 40 official travel agents and sub-agents are selling packages to rugby fans around the world and some have already sold out of semi-finals and finals travel packages.

Official hospitality packages are also proving popular, with New Zealand companies wanting to take advantage of the biggest event ever to be hosted in the country.

Managing director of event owner Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) Mike Miller - in New Zealand to check on progress at Stadium Christchurch and the new state-of-the-art Otago Stadium - underscored RWCL's confidence that overall tournament preparations are on track.

"Stadium Christchurch will be an exceptional Rugby World Cup venue and I have no doubt Otago Stadium will not only be ready on time, but will quickly establish itself as one of the finest sporting venues in the world with its innovative design and exceptional spectator experience," said Miller.

"What I am seeing, having made several visits to New Zealand in the past year, is a country that is advanced in its preparations to host a fantastic Rugby World Cup.

"This tournament is all about partnership and I am delighted to say that all stakeholders, including the New Zealand Government, are geared towards hosting a tournament that New Zealanders and the global rugby family can be proud of."