At a media briefing in Sydney, Snedden said the tournament would give the country a timely boost after the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch on February 22. Christchurch has been dropped as a host city due to the damage sustained in the disaster, but Snedden is confident the World Cup will come at the right time to lift the mood of the nation.
“At the moment, we’re picking about 85,000 to 95,000 visitors,” said Snedden. “We started out thinking it might be around 60,000 or 70,000, based on the Sydney Olympics and Rugby World Cup in 2003, but the offshore sales have been incredibly strong.”
Snedden added to Reuters: “It will be good timing for New Zealand – it will be a real fillip. We have gone through a period of shock, we are still going through a period of grieving. I think what will happen as the year goes on, is that people outside Christchurch will gradually get back to normal, and excitement will grow.”
Snedden continued: “In the end, it's possible that the earthquake will create an emotional feeling that New Zealanders will want the World Cup to be even more successful than they have previously been thinking. You look for things that unify, and this is an event that will unify the country.”
Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said in January that staging the event would inject about US$545 million into the country’s economy, boosting the nation’s gross domestic product by about 0.33%. A separate report from Deloitte has suggested that the overall economic impact could end up being as much as $1.9 billion. The 20-team tournament will comprise 48 matches from September 9 through to October 23.
