SPORTSWORLD is anxious to dispel the misconception that tickets for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney are sold out following a series of reports in the Australian press.
Tickets are still available but as the official ticket distributor in the UKfor the Games, Sportsworld is urging agents to book before the end of January.
Marketing director Simon Gillespie said: “We still have a good stock of event tickets but by the end of January many events may be difficult to gain access to.”
“Our stock is completely different from other countries – we have our own allocation for the UKmarket,” he added.
“Obviously good seats for popular events such as athletics and swimming, plus the opening and closing ceremonies, are tough ones to get hold of but there are still tickets available.”
He added: “Accommodation is actually the most pressing issue. It is in short supply.
“We have found that clients who initially just bought event tickets from us are now coming back as they realise how difficult it is to find accommodation.”
Sportsworld has allocations at properties such as the Gazebo Sydney, the Furamas, the Rex, Millennium, the Gazebo Parramatta, Westside Motel and the Motor Inns in Lansvale and Box Hill.
Gillespie said that there was still flight availability with return fares from £1,000-£1,500 available on a range of carriers including British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai International Airways, Malaysia, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand and Qantas.
Virgin’s recent announcement that it plans to begin operations Down Under in time for the Olympics may also help supply more seats.
With tickets, accommodation and flights still available, Gillespie urged agents to take advantage of the commission opportunities available.
“Levels of interest are higher than at the last Games in Atlanta – the demand from the public is there and agents can take advantage of it,” he said.
Sportsworld offers 10% commission with inclusive tour prices starting from around £1,895 for six nights, but Gillespie pointed out that most packages cost far more with the average length of stay being around 12 nights in Sydney and 19 days in total.
“We expected to see a lot of add-on business to Australia and New Zealand but what has surprised us is the level of additional travel,” he said.
“Longer stopovers pre- and post-Olympics, taking in products such as cruising and the Pacific Islands. The diversity has been quite surprising compared to previous Games, possibly because of the millennium.”
Indeed, director David Gambier said its most complicated itinerary has been a two-month trip taking in such diverse countries as the US, China and South America.
Gambier added: “Over 90% of our clients are adding some sort of side trip to their programme.
“We have had a fair share of people seeing this as ‘their holiday of a lifetime’ either to celebrate a special birthday, retirement, wedding anniversary or honeymoon.”
TABLE: In demand: while Games tickets can still be bought, accommodation in Sydney is a little harder to secure