Bristol hoteliers say they already feel like winners weeks before the first ball is kicked in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The city’s Ashton Gate Stadium – home to Bristol City football and Bristol Bears rugby sides – will host two quarter finals and both semi-finals next month.
The tournament runs between August 22 and September 27 and sports fans are expected to descend in large numbers on the match venues to watch the world’s best players from 16 nations compete for the sport’s ultimate prize.
Ashton Gate will host quarter-finals on September 13 and 14, and the two semi-finals on September 19 and 20, with the final taking place at Twickenham on September 27.
Four prestigious matches coming to the city is good news for members of the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA), which says its successful summer season is being extended as a result.
BHA Chair Adam Flint said: “Traditionally, September can be a fairly quiet month for leisure businesses, with schools returning after the summer holidays. But with the rugby world cup, our summer is being extended which is a welcome boost to our businesses.
“And with women’s rugby, like the football, getting a higher and higher profile, having four key World Cup fixtures in Bristol will help put our city on the world map and hopefully encourage even more people to visit and to enjoy its excellent hospitality.
“Of course, should England’s Red Roses progress to the semi-finals, as we all hope they will, then there may be even more demand in the latter stages of the tournament. Some of our hotels will be hosting World Cup teams during those matches, too.”
Hoteliers have enjoyed a fairly strong summer, thanks in part of the period of prolonged hot and sunny weather coupled with several special events, such as the world-famous International Balloon Fiesta and the first Oasis reunion concerts in nearby Cardiff, which saw concert-goers snap up beds in Bristol.
Mr Flint said: “Generally, the September pace is strong thanks to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which puts us in a good place for a strong final summer push before the winter.
“We are, of course, very grateful for this extra business and hope that it will mean more people will become aware of everything that our amazing city has to offer, so the benefits of the World Cup to our businesses will be felt long after the final whistle is blown.”
To find out more about the BHA, visit: www.bristol-hoteliers.co.uk.
