S.A. tours for supporters

Press, 16 April 1986, Page 13

S.A. tours for supporters

PA Palmerston North Two supporters’ tours to South Africa are being organised by a Levin travel firm. Its managing director, Mr Kenneth Irons, said a 32-day tour would leave New Zealand on May 7. The $6500 package would include the four rugby “tests” and three provincial matches being played by the “rebel” All Blacks. The second group would leave on May 14 for a 25-day visit, and would include the last three “tests” and two provincial matches. Mr Irons said that at this stage he did not know how many supporters would go to South Africa. “I have no idea yet. We only put the packages together at the week-end and I am just working out the itinerary. “We do a lot of specialinterest tours and in this case we are just respond-

ing to the demand. “We had customers who wanted to go on the South Africa tour last year, so we are really just going to take care of the people who want to go this time.” Mr Irons said he did not expect any adverse reaction to the supporters’ tours. Christchurch travel agents said that they did not know of any supporters’ tours being organised locally, and that there had been no requests from the public for such tours. Many doubted whether it would be possible to organise a tour at such short notice, as only two flights a week are available between Australia and southern Africa. Those flights normally were booked well in advance, and any indirect route to South Africa would be too expensive to justify a supporters’ tour, the travel agents said.