The Queenstown Lakeside Holiday Park welcomed an influx of international supporters on Sunday and last night, but general manager Greg Hartshorne said there could have been twice as many visitors in Queenstown had several local resorts not hiked their prices.
Mr Hartshorne said although the holiday park would gain some business this week and next with games in Dunedin, it had missed out on its usual bookings for this time of year.
However, New Zealand Hotel Council Queenstown Lakes District regional chairwoman Penny Clark said yesterday to her knowledge, Queenstown hotels and motels had not changed their prices for the RWC.
"There hasn't been quite so many specials, but we certainly have not put our prices up."
Ms Clark said there had been talk of hoteliers hiking their prices, but this had occurred more in the North Island, where most of the matches were being played.
"We always knew we weren't getting any games here, so we never planned to put prices up."
Queenstown hotels had picked up "slightly" since the weekend, although Ms Clark had noticed most visitors were arriving in campervans.
"They've got a lot of travel to be doing, so why not travel with your home on your back?"
Mr Hartshorne said more than 140 guests arrived at the camping ground on Sunday and Monday in campervans and he expected the number would rise to 200 by tonight. Most of those booking in had been rugby fans from Australia, Argentina, South Africa and Scotland.
Because Dunedin was not given a a play-off match, the likelihood of fans sticking around after pool play was slim and Queenstown would suffer.
"We will have another big week next week with campervans, but after that we're as dead as a doorknob."
In addition, the RWC would probably "keep many of our usual tourists away".
Brisbane rugby fan Gavin Lyon and five friends had bought tickets for a Wallabies match originally to be played in Christchurch, but they now plan to leave the South Island at the end of pool play.
The Australians arrived in Queenstown from Invercargill and plan to stay in Queenstown this week before heading to Dunedin for Sunday's England-Georgia match.
Mr Lyon said although Australia did not have a game in the region, there was plenty of Wallaby support around.
Holiday Accommodation Parks Association chief executive Fergus Brown is pleased with the booming campervan business at parks this week.
"It has been an exciting and busy weekend for holiday parks in Rugby World Cup match venues from Invercargill to Auckland."
The Invercargill Top 10 Holiday Park reported about 50% of Scottish fans were staying on in the city for their team's game against Georgia tomorrow, with many of the balance heading to Fiordland and the Southern Lakes for sightseeing.
The Dunedin Holiday Park reported nearly 700 campervans on site at the weekend.
