50,000 fans to follow the Lions to South Africa
October 24, 2008
Never mind the credit crunch that the UK is facing, die-hard rugby fans will still support their team. An expected 50,000 fans will follow the British and Irish Lions to South Africa for the three-test rugby tour. This figure is approximately 20,000 more than the last tour to New Zealand. The Lions have indeed become something of an enterprise and the whopping crowd expected to follow them is proof of that.
The Lions do indeed have a high brand value. All the supporters feel like they are part of a movement and wish to support it as best they can and what better way to show that support than to tag along on the tour.
This is indeed a very big event, as a Lions tour happens only every four years. The last one that South Africa hosted was in 1997. Thus, it is no surprise that there are so many supporters and followers.
The tickets which are part of official packages, cost quite a pretty penny, ranging from flight and match tickets, costing around £2,200, to a full 38-day experience at over £7,000. While some people have that kind of money to dish out, the rest will have to make do with their own travel and ticket arrangements.
