Saturday, September 11, 2010

Couch Potatoes Welcome

The clock ticks down until accommodation bookings open for the *yawn* Rugby World Cup 2011.
NZ hotels, motels and other accommodation providers still don't know just how busy they'll be...because their booking systems don't allow reservations more than a year in advance! You'd think, with all the hoo-haa over this tournament, that the tourism industry would've got an IT guru to write a programme, that would allow forward bookings beyond 12 months!! Jeeezzz!
So because it's six weeks or more before some folk know if they've got match tickets, there's a large fan base who don't know if they even need to be in NZ, come Cup time.
And if that little booking programme oversight wasn't enough, we heard these comments this week:
+ Rugby World Cup boss Martin Snedden - "We're not going to satisfy demand if all (want) the best hotel rooms - we'll satisfy demand if they're looking for a bed and let us point them in the right direction."
+ NZ Hotel Council chairman Jennie Langley - "Even if it comes down to people sleeping on couches, there's a huge selection..."
Now, all the preparations for this glorified rugby piss-up have been geared towards making the country look slick, organised, fun. Does anyone really want to come halfway around the world to support their team...and doss down on some total stranger's couch?
What sort of image does that create? THINK!!!
And why do so many elements of this Rugby World Cup's planning have "potential debacle" written all over them?

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