Kick-off begins on Monday for package deals to the World Cup

The first package deals for soccer fans planning to travel to the Far East next summer for the Republic of Ireland's three opening…

The first package deals for soccer fans planning to travel to the Far East next summer for the Republic of Ireland's three opening World Cup games go on sale on Monday.

The prices of the packages including flights, accommodation and match tickets have yet to be finalised but fans can expect to pay up to £5,000.

It remains to be seen how many fans will have this much spare cash just weeks before Christmas but according to Mr Robert Sinnott, sales director with Stephen's Green Classic Sports Travel, which is finalising the deals, the company has already had a "huge" number of enquiries.

He said Stephen's Green Travel anticipated taking 1,000 fans to Japan for the first three games against the Cameroon, Germany and Saudi Arabia, which begin on June 1st.

READ MORE

"We will be limited in the number of guaranteed tickets we will have for the matches so they will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis."

Mr Sinnott said he had people in Japan checking out accommodation since the draw was made in Korea on Saturday. "We are finalising prices. They will be in the £5,000 price region."

A spokeswoman for Ray Treacy Travel, the company which handles travel for the Irish soccer squad, said it wouldn't have any packages available until next month.

She confirmed that Mr Ray Treacy, who was in Korea for the draw with Irish boss Mick McCarthy, was in Japan to check out accommodation and make reservations.

United Travel in Stillorgan, Dublin, is also putting together packages, but spokesman Mr Soni Kodakkat said they would not be on sale until after Christmas. He said the company planned to base fans in Thailand and fly them from there to Japan or Korea for the games. "This would make the trip much cheaper," he said. How much cheaper? "Less than £3,000 definitely."

A number of other travel agents have reported a brisk trade in sales of flights only to Tokyo and Seoul. One agent, who asked not to be named, said the cheapest fare available to Tokyo was £906. The cheapest flights to Seoul at present were £564.

Apex Travel, on Dublin's Dame Street, said it had taken a large number of bookings for flights only to Tokyo since Saturday. Many were prepared to pay between £1,500 and £2,000 for business class seats.