Experts predict a surge in Japanese tourists as Brighton makes rugby history

Experts have predicted a surge of Japanese tourists will visit the city for years to come, adding millions of pounds to the economy.

Japan’s heroics in beating South Africa on Saturday in their tournament opener has set the wheels in motion, leading tourism chiefs to predict a bright future of international visitors.

The Japanese team celebrated their giant-killing act by swimming off Brighton beach and their win has hit the headlines back at home with shots of the city beamed around the world on television at the weekend.

It has provided a marketing campaign tourism chiefs could only dream of.

Councillor Alan Robins, deputy chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s economic development and culture committee, welcome the exposure.

He said: “Before the tournament started it was estimated at £3m it would be brought into the city and now that looks like a very conservative amount.

“This match could see the Japanese come to Brighton and Hove for decades to see where they toppled the mighty South Africa.

“We could organise trips for the Japanese tourists to come down and see the stadium and then we could take them down for a dip in the beach where their heroes cooled off.

“Our visitors from the Far East love the Pavilion and the theatre quarter, so this will only add to it.

“When you think of it, if you take the football World Cup and the Olympics out of the equation, the Rugby World Cup is the next biggest sporting occasion, and for a shock like that to happen in Brighton – it’s amazing.”

As well as nearly 60,000 people watching the two games live at Brighton Community Stadium, more than 50,000 soaked up the atmosphere at the big screen on the beach in the official Fanzone in Madeira Drive.

Nick Mosley, the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival managing director and vice-chair of the Brighton and Hove Tourism Alliance, said: “The Rugby World Cup is an example of a prestigious high profile event that delivers for the city in terms of in-bound visitors and their localised spend in our hospitality and retail businesses, alongside global media coverage of our city.

“Whilst the UK and our near European neighbours make up the bulk of our visitor economy, we should keep focussed on attracting visitors from further afield as they tend to stay longer and spend more.

“Visitors from the Far East are an important tourism demographic for the UK – for example, recent statistics have shown Chinese visitors spend more per capita than any other nationality – so raising the profile of the unique offering of cosmopolitan Brighton and Hove and historic Sussex is a no-brainer.”

He added: “The Rugby World Cup very much appears to be ticking all those boxes so is a boom to the city.”

CITY BECOMES CENTRE OF THE RUGBY WORLD

THE world stopped and watched as Brighton and Hove took centre stage for one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.

At 6.42pm on September 19, Karne Hesketh’s try sent the ruby universe into delirium at the Brighton Community Stadium.

The result rocked the sporting world but the knock-on effects for Brighton and Hove are expected to be huge due to the exposure It has been called the biggest upset in sporting history and tourism chiefs believe it means Japanese visitors will be coming to see the city for years to come.

Japan’s national newspapers are usually crammed with baseball and football in the sports sections, but yesterday and on Sunday rugby was plastered all over the back pages for the first time in the team’s history.

The world’s most-read newspaper – Yomiuri Shinbun – had stories about what happened at the home of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Its circulation is more than 10 million, and it was the top story on its website even 48 hours after the game.

Asahi Shinbun – Japan’s second-most read paper with a circulation of more than eight million – had the rugby story as one of their online stories.

The Asahi Shinbun also celebrated Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s interest, reporting how she had said it was the story you couldn’t write.

The Sankei Shinbun, which boasts two million readers, was plastered with pictures of the Brave Blossoms training at Brighton College as six of its top 10 sports stories were centred around the rugby.

Japan Rugby spokeswoman Mayuko Wantanabe said: “It’s been the same as over here – it’s been going absolutely crazy.”

The squad has been inundated with messages from fans and Miss Wantanabe said: “They are saying that it’s a fantastic victory and that it’s a historical moment.”

Miss Wantanabe thanked Brighton College – their hosts during the build-up to the opening weekend of the tournament – and described their hospitality as “amazing”.

Before their last training session at the Eastern Road campus, the Japanese players were given a guard of honour as 1,200 students welcomed them back to their base yesterday.

Brighton College head of rugby Nick Buoy: “It’s been an absolute privilege to host the Japanese team here at Brighton College.

“School is so much more than just what happens in the classroom and watching these players train has set such a wonderful example to the pupils.

“It has been an opportunity to see world-class players displaying the sort of dedication, resilience and determination that produces dazzling results on the pitch. It’s been a life lesson.”

It was not the only mark of respect to take place on the weekend.

As the train from the stadium rolled into Brighton on Saturday night, the South African fans insisted the Japan supporters alight first so they could be given their own guard of honour.

Fans have described the match and the fall-out as typifying what rugby union is about.

Japan, then ranked 15th in the world, had beaten the two-time world champions.

The man who brought the action to the living rooms of millions around the globe was ITV’s Martin Gillingham, who was full of praise for the city.

He said: “I think the venue was the perfect size for that sort of match.

“Had it been held at a big stadium like Twickenham or Wembley there’s a good chance it wouldn’t have drawn anything like the same sort of crowd and it would’ve significantly detracted from the atmosphere.

“As it turned out, Brighton Community Stadium was the perfect host.

“I was very impressed – there’s a spectacular scenic backdrop and it certainly was for that reason the perfect location and I think the weather helped.

“I also think the fact South Africa were involved means there was always going to be a big audience given their following and the number of ex-pats in London who made their way down.

“Maybe I was a bit naive, but I was surprised how many Japanese supporters were there.

“And certainly as the afternoon went on there were more Japanese fans inside the ground than there were at kick off.

“There is no doubt the result and the occasion put Brighton and Hove on the map.”

Mr Gillingham added: “Maybe this was just Brighton’s two days in the rugby sunshine, but there’s no doubt that for an hour or two on Saturday afternoon it became the centre of the rugby universe.

“I look back at rugby occasions I’ve been to and the finest sporting occasion I’ve ever been to was the Rugby World Cup final in 1995.

“I’m fortunate enough to have been to a number of Olympic Games and I’ve competed in one, so to a degree I’ve been spoiled a bit.

“But on the flipside it’s only relatively occasionally that you tend to really appreciate big sporting occasions.

“For instance, I was at the track a few weeks ago when Usain Bolt won the World 100m title in Beijing and that was a big occasion, but there’s nothing quite like a rugby match like Saturday’s.

“In my mind, those last two or three minutes were right up there with any sport I’ve ever witnessed.”