VANCOUVER If people are cutting spending on luxury items in these uncertain economic times, theyre not doing it on tickets to the Olympic Games.
With just over a week to go in the first phase of ticket sales, packages to the 2010 Olympics are selling out and individual requests are increasing daily.
Around 120 packages that contained tickets to the gold-medal mens hockey game were gone two weeks after they went on sale, said Jean-Paul Modde, the president of CoSport, the official hospitality provider for the Vancouver Olympics.
Packages that include tickets to the opening ceremonies are also selling quickly.
Modde said sales have been brisker than expected, in spite of the economic uncertainty facing the world.
This is not something that somebody wakes up on Friday morning and says, oh you know what, lets buy an Olympic package today, said Modde.
People have been planning this for a long time and they know that things are going to turn around.
The packages include other event tickets, accommodation and in some cases, transportation and meals.
They range in price from $3,800 to $34,500.
Packages are different than the sale of individual tickets for the Games because they are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. They remain on sale until there are none left.
Individual tickets are purchased by filling out request forms that are being accepted until Nov. 7. If demand outstrips the number of tickets available, theyll be allocated by lottery.
Once the lottery phase finishes, people who submitted applications will be able to buy leftover tickets.
As venue arrangements are finalized, more tickets may be available so second and third phases of sales will be held next year and in 2010.
In addition to the packages, CoSport manages the sale of individual tickets in several countries outside Canada and says demand remains high, even in the United States.
There, the most requests are coming from the northwest region and California.
Vancouver Olympic organizers, who manage the sale of individual tickets in Canada themselves, say demand has also been higher than expected at this point in the process.
High-priced ticket packages selling out for 2010 Winter Olympics
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Published on
October 30, 2008
- Published on January 3, 2010
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