North Otago Rugby Union chief executive Colin Jackson says overseas interest is high in next year's Waitaki Golden Oldies rugby festival but there are also fears about high prices set for inbound tourists for the Rugby World Cup.
Jackson has just returned from two weeks in Europe and said everywhere he had gone he had received plenty of positive feedback about the festival.
It may be that players from various overseas clubs will join together to form a team but he said Air New Zealand was keen to get involved, and he was confident of getting at least 10 teams from overseas.
He said North Otago businesses were getting in behind the event, which was due to take place during the Rugby World Cup.
But Jackson said many of the tour operators he had talked to in Europe were worried about the prices being charged for accommodation in New Zealand during the Cup.
"A few tour operators I spoke to were concerned that they are going to be ripped off staying in Auckland.
"When people are weighing up whether they want to come all the way round the world and they hear they are being ripped off then that might stop them coming," Jackson said.
"There is a fair bit of angst and worry out there about that."
The North Otago union wanted to get teams from within New Zealand to come to the Golden Oldies event, which was about 18 months away.
Jackson said that might seem like a long way away but people had to start preparing now and get involved.
"Failure to plan is planning to fail.
"That's why we need to get our studies and planning for our Waitaki Golden Oldies rugby festival under way immediately."
Jackson pointed to the ticketing debacle at North Harbour Stadium last Friday night as a bad piece of publicity for next year's World Cup.
Thousands of fans were locked out of the stadium after the match kicked off last Friday night after a big walk-up crowd led to an inability to get spectators quickly into the ground.
Jackson said, in a statement, while it was North Harbour Stadium found wanting last Friday it was fortunate the matter occurred when it did.
"This is a wake-up call and I don't want North Otago to be in the same position come Rugby World Cup time.
"We have to be ready well before our visitors are due, which means our business community needs to embrace the enormous financial possibilities that 2011 will offer."
