Premier Devon welcome awaits rugby fans as Leicester Tigers take on the Exeter Chiefs

Release Date: 01/01/2011

Leicester Tigers rugby fans can expect a premier welcome when they visit Devon as their team takes on the Exeter Chiefs on Sunday 2 January. The Chiefs have been recently promoted to the rugby Premiership. www.visitdevon.co.uk/rugby.

The General Manager of Visit Devon Rosie Bates says that visiting fans will receive a warm Devon welcome to the city: “There is a real buzz about the Exeter Chiefs being in the premiership and we are looking forward to welcoming supporters of Leicester Tigers. Their fans will find that Devon has a wide range of exciting places to stay and to visit. Exeter will not disappoint as a vibrant city with a great reputation for fine restaurants and lively bars where fans can either celebrate or drown their sorrows.”

Supporters from the Leicester based rugby club may wish to extend their stay in Devon which has much to offer rugby fans, their partners and families. Club fans have the chance to win a short break in a Marsdens cottage in Devon. The winner will win a £400 voucher that can either pay for a break outright, or put it towards the cost of a longer stay at one of the many quality holiday cottages on offer: www.devonpromotions.co.uk/marsdens.

Also rugby fans wanting to enjoy a weekend to remember with a little luxury waiting for them after an afternoon of exciting rugby would be advised to try Exeter’s outstanding hotels such as the Mercure Southgate Hotel www.mercure.com or the Abode Exeter the Royal Clarence Hotel, England’s first hotel which is located opposite the medieval grandeur of the city’s great Cathedral. Enjoy a glass of bubbly in the Champagne Bar or a meal at the award winning restaurant of Michelin starred Chef Michael Caines. www.abodehotels.co.uk/exeter.

Or why not try the Queen’s Court Hotel with its city centre location which is an ideal destination for fans wanting a stylish hotel with easy access to all that Exeter has to offer. www.queenscourt-hotel.co.uk.

Many of Exeter’s hotels have some great deals for visiting rugby fans, the Gipsy Hill Hotel at Pinhoe is set in three acres of landscaped gardens and is close to the city centre and the Sandy Park ground, Gipsy Hill is an ideal post match retreat. Supporters staying at the hotel can enjoy the offer of a free half bottle of wine per person in the Lawns Restaurant. There are also free soft drinks for children: www.gipsyhillhotel.co.uk.

The sixteenth century coaching inn, the Globe Hotel at Topsham near Exeter is offering free bike hire from the Route 2 Café Bar & Cycle Hire for eco minded fans who want to get to Sandy Park hassle free: www.globehotel.com. For more ideas on hotels and B&B’s in Devon please visit: www.visitdevon.co.uk .

Partners or young families travelling with Leicester Tigers fans who do not want to watch the game will have much to entertain them. Shopping at Exeter’s premier Princesshay retail development has 60 shops including top designer names along with fabulous restaurants and bars.

If shopping brings a few tears from visiting children, take them to Paignton Zoo where match day tickets will entitle the bearer to £1 off entry price per adult and 50p off per child, senior citizen or student. Home to thousands of amazing animals and plants visitors can feel as if they are travelling the world in just one day. Visit the desert, cross the savannah, explore the forest and trek through the tropics. Use your senses to discover the wild world: look around, listen out - you’ll even need your sense of smell! www.paigntonzoo.org.uk.

Another attraction where you will need your sense of smell, if only to sniff out the tempting produce on offer, is Darts Farm at Topsham, within easy distance from Sandy Park where dedicated foodies can indulge in the best of Devon food and drink, luxury home and lifestyle products and a first- class café and deli: www.dartsfarm.co.uk.

Or why not enjoy lunch and a garden tour of the spectacular grounds of Gidleigh Park at Chagford near Dartmoor. The Head Gardener, Andrew Brimblecombe will escort you through the beautiful garden before lunch in the Michelin 2 star restaurant. www.gidleigh.com or Tel: 01647 432367.

The Living Coasts innovative zoo and discovery centre at Torquay’s harbour side is offering rugby fans £1 off the entry fee for adults and 50p off for children, students or senior citizens on the production of Exeter Chiefs match tickets on entry to the attraction. www.livingcoasts.org.uk.

Notes to Editors

For more information on all there is to see and do in Devon, along with places to stay, go to www.visitdevon.co.uk. For more information about Visit Devon, contact Rosie Bates, General Manager, T/: 01392 332828 or M/: 07854 952 352 or E/:rosie@visitdevon.co.uk or go to www.visitdevon.co.uk .

For further press information please contact:

Jane Adkins T/: 01935 813114

M/: 07960 698089 E/: jane@aheadforpr.co.uk

Gail Livingstone T/: 01823 252415

M/:07767 055595 E/: gail@aheadforpr.co.uk

Visit Devon is the destination management organisation responsible for promoting Devon to the world. The organisation acts as a voice for tourism in Devon and its aim is simple - to increase the number of visitors to Devon by promoting the county as a year-round destination for business or leisure. The organization brings together, adds value to and enhances the work and activities undertaken by the six Area Tourism Partnerships across the county. Visit Devon is committed to growing the tourism sector sustainably, increasing the skills within the industry, and raising the quality of the visitor experience.

Visit Devon is a public-private partnership limited by guarantee. The not for profit company comprises nine member organizations including the six Area Tourism Partnerships (The Heart of Devon, Visit Plymouth, North Devon+, The Dartmoor Partnership, The English Riviera Tourist Board, and Visit South Devon, Devon County Council, The Devon Association of Tourist attractions (Data), and Devon Farms. Visit Devon is the trading name of Destination Devon Ltd.