Auckland to stage Louis Vuitton World Series

Tourism Auckland is delighted the Louis Vuitton World Series will take place in Auckland in March 2010.

The new series is an outgrowth of the successful and highly-competitive Louis Vuitton Pacific Series which took place in Auckland in February earlier this year.

Tourism Auckland sponsored that regatta alongside Auckland City Council and AucklandPlus.

Nice will host the first event in the new Louis Vuitton World Series in November before the best international yachtsmen descend on the City of Sails next March.

Tourism Auckland chief executive, Graeme Osborne, says it’s a great result for Auckland.

“This year’s regatta was a resounding success and certainly helped to cement our reputation as a destination ideally suited to hosting world-class yachting events,” he says.

“I’m confident this next event will attract thousands of international visitors and inject considerable funds into Auckland’s economy as we round off the high tourist season.”

Auckland tourism reaped significant benefits from this year’s two-week regatta, with at least $16.10 million of additional cash being injected into the Auckland economy.[1] Hospitality and tourism sectors enjoyed a benefit of at least $5.44 million.

The nine visiting teams spent around 6,600 nights in Auckland, while the domestic and international spectators generated 2,100 nights.

CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, Grant Dalton, says the success of the Auckland event persuaded all the partners to create a dynamic race programme.
"It worked well in Auckland. The public were fantastic, all the people involved were fantastic, the teams loved it and it created a blueprint for the future," says Dalton.

The launch of the Louis Vuitton World Series is positive news for top-tier professional sailors as it guarantees a global world series aboard high-tech Version 5 ACC monohull racing boats.

The series will feature a 10-team field competing in shared yachts in a round robin, one-on-one match racing format where the two finalists go head-to-head to determine the winner.

 

[1] The Impact of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series 2009 on Auckland. A Covec report prepared for AucklandPlus and Auckland City Council, March 2009