england rugby travel

What england rugby travel does

England Rugby Travel is the official travel company of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), established in 2005 as a joint venture between Mike Burton Travel Limited and the RFU. The company provides ticket-inclusive travel and accommodation packages to England Rugby supporters attending major international fixtures and tournaments, including the Rugby World Cup, Guinness Six Nations, Autumn Nations Series, Summer Tours, and the newly launched Nations Championship. Its primary customer segments are individual England Rugby fans seeking hassle-free international travel packages and organized rugby groups (schools, clubs, universities) purchasing official playing tours under the England Rose brand. The company holds the exclusive Great Britain Official Travel Agent appointment from World Rugby for multiple Rugby World Cup cycles through 2027.

The company's core offering bundles match tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations into a single package, with a modular add-on system enabling premium experiences such as the Platinum Experience, England Rugby House, Matchday Packs, and Social Events. A recent addition is the Advantage Access Pass (AAP), a refundable deposit product that grants priority booking windows and exclusive England camp content. The company maintains a global operating footprint spanning the UK, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Japan, the USA, and Argentina, with its own dedicated merchandise portfolio including the Women's rugby portfolio covering the Red Roses, WXV Global Series, and Women's Rugby World Cup. No proprietary technology is disclosed; the platform relies on third-party tools including Calendly for scheduling, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, and Hotjar for analytics, Mixpanel for product analytics, and DotDigital for email marketing.

The business model centres on one-time package sales with multi-year or staged payment structures (deposit plus balance), plus ancillary revenue from travel insurance upsells and premium experience add-ons. Distribution is exclusively direct through the company's e-commerce website and a telephone sales operation. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with ATOL-certified, ABTA-bonded, and IATA-accredited financial protection underpinning customer trust. The company is a private limited company registered in England and Wales (Mike Burton Travel Limited, company number 02616655), with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or headcount data.

Name

england rugby travel

Legal name

Mike Burton Travel Limited

Website

https://englandrugbytravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

England Rugby Travel is the RFU's official travel company, offering ticket-inclusive travel and accommodation packages for England Rugby supporters attending major tournaments and matches worldwide, including the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, and Autumn Nations Series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Travel Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Active Travel Agencies (e.g., ski, golf, dive) (THAKAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Team, Tournament & Training Travel (THAKAGAI), Sports Events & Match Tickets (THAJAFAE)

Keywords

• Sports travel packages
• Rugby tour packages
• Ticket-inclusive travel
• Matchday hospitality
• Supporter travel services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket-Inclusive Travel Packages: Core revenue stream from bundling match tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations into complete supporter travel packages for England Rugby matches and tournaments worldwide.
2. Day Return Bookings: Revenue from day return travel arrangements without full package inclusion, typically including match tickets and transport but not overnight accommodation.
3. Travel Insurance: Upsell of travel insurance as a condition of booking, providing additional revenue per transaction.
4. Experiences and Hospitality: Premium experiences including Platinum packages, England Rugby House, Social events, Matchday Packs, and access to Rugby Legends Q&A sessions offered as add-ons to base packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

England Rugby Travel is the RFU's official travel company, selling ticket-inclusive supporter travel packages that bundle match tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations for England Rugby matches and tournaments worldwide. The portfolio covers Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, Autumn Nations Series, Summer Tours, Nations Championship, and Red Roses women's rugby competitions, with optional premium experiences such as Platinum Experience, England Rugby House, Social Events, and Matchday Packs.

Product overview

England Rugby Travel is the RFU's Official Travel Company offering a comprehensive portfolio of ticket-inclusive travel packages for England Rugby matches worldwide. The core offering consists of travel packages combining match tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations for major tournaments including Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, Summer Tours, Autumn Nations Series, and Nations Championship. The company operates a modular add-on system where customers can enhance their base packages with experiences such as Matchday Pack (drinks, food, programme), Platinum Experience (premium hospitality), England Rugby House (pre-match access to England camp), and Social Events (dining, tours). Additional offerings include Day Return tickets for home matches, Advantage Access Pass for early booking windows, and School & Club Tours for youth rugby groups. The Women's Rugby portfolio includes packages for Red Roses matches in Women's Six Nations, WXV Global Series, and Women's Rugby World Cup tournaments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rugby World Cup Packages Official ticket-inclusive travel packages for Rugby World Cup tournaments, bundling match tickets, flights, and hotel accommodations for supporters travelling to global host destinations.
• Six Nations Packages Travel packages for the annual Guinness Six Nations Championship featuring England home and away matches against Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy, bundling match tickets, flights, and hotel accommodation.
• Autumn Nations Series Packages Ticket-inclusive packages for England's autumn international matches at Twickenham against touring southern hemisphere teams, combining match tickets, accommodation, and flights where applicable.
• Summer Tour Packages Travel packages for England's summer tour matches abroad, including Americas tours and other international fixtures, with match tickets, flights, and accommodation.
• Nations Championship Packages Travel packages for the biennial Nations Championship featuring 12 teams from Six Nations and southern hemisphere nations, with home and away fixtures.
• Day Return Travel Day return travel option for fans attending England home matches at Allianz Stadium, providing match tickets and transport without overnight accommodation.
• School and Club Tours (England Rose) Official Rugby playing tours for schools, clubs, and universities under the England Rose brand, providing logistics, international travel arrangements, fixture organization, and official credentials for touring parties.
• Women's Rugby Travel Packages Ticket-inclusive travel packages for Women's Rugby World Cup, WXV Global Series, and Guinness Women's Six Nations tournaments featuring the Red Roses, bundling match tickets, flights, and accommodation.
• Platinum Experience Premium hospitality experience offering top-class hotels, exclusive events, and dedicated support team at major rugby tournaments, sold as an upgrade to supporter travel packages.
• Advantage Access Pass (AAP) Pre-booking pass offering supporters an exclusive early window to purchase ticket-inclusive travel packages before general release, with a fully refundable deposit that applies to the final balance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% customer recommendation rate in recent surveys

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rugby Football Union (RFU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner with England Rugby Travel. England Rugby Travel is the RFU's official travel company, operating under the 'Good For Rugby' brand. The partnership provides exclusive access to England team experiences, ticket allocations, and co-marketing opportunities. Both companies ultimately own customer data.
• World RugbycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppointed as Official Travel Agent (OTA) in Great Britain for Rugby World Cups 2015, 2019, 2023, 2025, and 2027. Provides exclusive ticket allocation and official tournament travel package rights.
• ABTAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorABTA membership (V4759) provides financial protection for package holidays and access to ABTA's Code of Conduct and dispute resolution services.
• Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorATOL protection (3030) provided by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for flight-inclusive packages, ensuring customer refunds and repatriation in insolvency scenarios.
• IATAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational Air Transport Association accreditation enabling the sale of airline tickets and air travel services.
• Mike Burton Travel LimitedcoreOthersParent company of England Rugby Travel brand. England Rugby Travel operates as Mike Burton Travel Limited trading as England Rugby Travel. Company registered in England and Wales (02616655).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Sports Travel Company: Specialist sports tour operator providing ticket-inclusive packages for rugby, cricket, and other major sporting events. Niche-overlap with comparable B2C package structure.
• Sportsbreaks.com: UK-based official sports travel partner for multiple national governing bodies, bundling tickets, hotels, and hospitality for major sporting events. Closely comparable operating model to England Rugby Travel.
• Destination Sports: Official travel partner for several international rugby and cricket tours, packaging match tickets, travel, and accommodation. Overlapping offering in the rugby sports travel niche.
• Gullivers Sports Travel: Long-standing UK sports tour operator offering ticket-inclusive packages for rugby, football, and other major events. Directly comparable product mix and customer base.
• Edusport Travel: Specialist rugby and cricket tour operator for schools, clubs, and universities—directly comparable to the England Rose School & Club Tours offering within England Rugby Travel's portfolio.
• Keith Prowse: UK sports hospitality and official travel provider for major events including rugby, tennis, and cricket. Directly comparable in bundling official tickets with premium experiences.
• Eventmasters: UK-based official travel and hospitality provider for rugby, football, and other major sporting events. Directly comparable in offering official ticket-inclusive packages to sports fans.

Broad incumbents

• TUI Musement: Global tours, activities, and experiences arm of TUI Group, increasingly active in sports experiences and event travel. Broad incumbent competing for sports-adjacent travel demand.
• Booking.com: Global OTA that enables unbundled booking of accommodation, flights, and increasingly attraction/event tickets for major sporting fixtures. Indirect competitive pressure on bundled sports packages.
• Thomas Cook Sport: Historical mass-market sports travel operator (legacy brand) that bundled tickets and travel for major sporting events. Provides a benchmark for scale economics in the sports package holiday category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/englandrugbytravel

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about england rugby travel