News, Rugby August 6, 2017

British & Irish Lions Partnership

British & Irish Lions Partnership
Expat Sport secures major agreement with Lions Rugby Travel
Dubai travel company awarded ‘official reseller’ status for 2013 British & Irish Lions v Barbarians match in Hong Kong and will ensure GCC-based travellers benefit from discounted travel options.

Expat Sport, the UAE’s leading sport tour operator and specialists in sport-related travel/tourism, has today announced a major new agreement with Lions Rugby Travel. The exclusive deal will see the travel firm awarded the license to become the official Middle Eastern travel partner for the coveted British & Irish Lions v Barbarians match, taking place in Hong Kong in June 2013.

This is the first time that a company in the Middle East has secured the ‘official reseller’ status for this major sporting event and it will allow rugby enthusiasts from the UAE access to fully escorted tour packages, which include flights, accommodation and official match tickets. The British & Irish Lions is one of the world’s most iconic and supported rugby teams and boasts thousands of fans worldwide. The Lions will play the Barbarians in Hong Kong, in what promises to be a historic curtain raiser to the anticipated Australian tour.

Alan Holt, Managing Director of Expat Sport, said: “We are all delighted to have secured ‘official reseller’ status for such a prestigious sporting event. Having specialised in sports travel for many years, we have forged strong partnerships with various official sporting bodies worldwide, as well as major airlines and hotel groups. This latest agreement is a significant milestone for us and highlights our commitment to offering our customers easy access to global sporting events from this region”. Alan continued: “Over the past few years, we have found that the number of residents in the UAE visiting international sporting events has notably increased, with bookings up by almost 40 per cent so far this year. Our team has worked extremely hard to develop good working relationships within the sporting community, providing team travel arrangements for many sports clubs. With the UAE having a long-term strategic plan to develop sports tourism, it will enable us to open up even more travel opportunities in the future.”

Justin Hopwood, Head of Sales & Marketing at Lions Rugby Travel, commented: “Lions Rugby Travel is pleased to appoint Expat Sport as an official reseller of the British & Irish Lions v Barbarians match in Hong Kong. I’m sure that Expat Sport will bring the game to a wide audience, and no doubt many fans will be part of what promises to be a memorable occasion.”

Notes to editors:

For further information please contact:

Alan Holt
Expat Sport
Telephone: 04 435 6612
E-mail: alan@expatholidays.com

About Expat Sport:

Expat Sport is part of Expat tourism LLC which launched in October 2009 and is rapidly expanding to become the leading specialist sports travel company in the UAE. The brand has quickly grown amongst the UAE-based expat community and has also grabbed the attention of sporting personalities and sports bodies such as MATCH (official hospitality provider for the 2014 football world cup in Brazil) and England Rugby Travel. The company has enjoyed OTA (official travel agent) status for many prestigious sporting events, such as the Rugby World Cup, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Euro 2012 and The British & Irish Lions. It was also recently selected as the official hospitality agent for the Pakistan v England Test Series. With a strong mix of consumer and business clients, Expat Sport dedicates itself to the expat community of the UAE and wider GCC. All of its employees are expats and trained to the highest standards in the UK, so thoroughly connect with its target audience. Expat Sport offers both outbound and inbound travel services and has established strong partnerships with Emirates and Etihad airlines, as well as major hotel groups and tour operators across the world.

Other Expat tourism LLC brands include www.expatholidays.com and www.dubaiexperience.com

For more information please visit www.ExpatSport.com