Fewer Foreign Visitors Than Predicted, But Same Economic Impact

Roughly 373,000 foreign visitors are expected to visit South Africa for the World Cup, according to a recent study. This is lower than previous predictions of nearly half a million and lower than other World Cups, but the economists who did the study say the economic impact of these visitors will be comparable due to longer stays in the country.

"We have revised the figures post the worldwide recession and major ticket sales phases, and some of the numbers are encouraging," said Gillian Saunders, principal of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions, the global auditing and consultancy firm that released the report.

...Visitors were expected to stay an average of 18 days and spend about R30 200 compared to the 14 days and R22 000 predicted before.

World Cup fans were expected to attend five matches per person, up from the 3.4 matches previously expected.

373 000 foreigners expected for World Cup
Independent Online
April 23, 2010