Official Travel and Hospitality

The official travel and hospitality programme for the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2009 was the only way for supporters to ensure they had the latest information on the Official Licensed Operators appointed to sell ticket-inclusive travel and hospitality packages.

Interest in tickets for the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2009 was very high. Lions supporters obtaining tickets from unofficial sources ran the risk of having those tickets cancelled or being refused entry to a stadium.

Official Travel Packages (including match tickets) and Official Hospitality Packages (including match tickets) could only be purchased from one of the four ‘Official Licensed Operators’ appointed by British Lions Limited, which were England Rugby Travel, Gullivers Sports Travel, Sportsworld and Thomas Cook Sport.

Official Travel Packages

An Official Travel Package included an official match ticket and a return international flight from Europe to South Africa. These packages could also include accommodation in South Africa as well as transfers, merchandise and other added extras. Each Official Licensed Operator sold their own individual packages. The travel packages sold by the Official Licensed Operators were the only official packages being sold in the Europe region. Please note that the Official Licensed Operators could have appointed one or more sub-agents to sell official packages, but the sub-agent had to clearly state who they were a sub-agent of and they were not permitted to use the Official Licensed Operator logo.

Official Hospitality Packages

There were two different levels of hospitality packages available through the Official Licensed Operators. Platinum hospitality offered access to a private corporate viewing facility and prestige hospitality took place in a function suite within the test match venue.

Please bear in mind that anyone who purchased an official Lions travel and hospitality packages was making a direct contribution back into rugby in Great Britain and Ireland. Revenues from Lions Tours are remitted back to the Home Unions and contribute directly to the promotion and development of the game of rugby in the territories of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. By purchasing only from official sources, you are also directly contributing to the funding of the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa in 2009.

The British & Irish Lions asked fans to support the continued growth and development of the game in their country and only purchase official British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2009 tickets and travel packages from official Lions sources. The support pf the fans was welcomed and is important to the future survival of the Lions as the ‘last great touring team’ in the modern rugby era.