SPORTS TOURISM
Beyond the game – the economics
The All Blacks came to South Africa to play rugby. Hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses just came along for the ride.
By Ebrahim Moolla
A rugby supporter does not travel on a match ticket alone.
There is the flight, the hotel room, the Uber, the pre-match lunch, the post-match drink, perhaps a replica jersey and, if the Boks have done their job, another round or two before heading back to the hotel. Multiply that by thousands of travelling supporters and a major sporting fixture starts to look less like a 90-minute event and more like a temporary local economy.
Southern Sun saw some of that effect during Rugby ' s Greatest Rivalry, the revival of the traditional All Blacks tour of South Africa. The hotel group reported a 10 % increase in South African revenue during the five months to the end of August 2026, specifically identifying the tour alongside events, conferences and group travel as contributors to stronger demand, with overall group occupancy rising from 57.8 % to 60.2 % and average room rates up 9.5 %.
“ Big events, it turns out, can create demand even when consumers are otherwise watching their spending.”
The rugby was not solely responsible for those numbers, but its presence is notable because Southern Sun simultaneously described ordinary domestic leisure travel as subdued. Big events, it turns out, can create demand even when consumers are otherwise watching their spending.
62 sabusinessintegrator. co. za