South Africa Tourism Hike Expected After Cup

Tourism experts expect international tourism to South Africa to pick up as a result of the 2010 World Cup.

Gillian Saunders, director of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions, said careful targeting could increase the number of overseas visitors to SA by 1.2million over the next five years, instead of the current 2.4million.

Annually, about 9.9million tourists visit SA, of which 7.5million are from the rest of the continent. Overseas visitors mainly come from the UK, US, France and Germany, but they could now also be coming from non-traditional markets like Brazil and China, she said.

World Cup success can open new tourism doors for SA
The Times
July 18, 2010

Port Elizabeth Booms During Cup

Businesses and tourism officials in Port Elizabeth are reporting high visitation rates and economic activity resulting from its hosting of World Cup matches.

"We are expecting the influx of supporters for these teams will translate into high rand figures. The World Cup has been very good for us," Chuene said.

Port Elizabeth's Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Percci) said many of its retail and tourism sector members had reported an increase in turnover.

PE to cash in on the World Cup
Independent Online
July 9, 2010

Foreign Visitor Expectations Fall Again

South African tourism officials are now estimating that only 300,000 foreign visitors will come to the country during the World Cup. This is down from an initial prediction of 450,000 and a reduced prediction only a month ago of about 375,000.

"It may be a little bit less than what we expected ... but four years ago nobody expected the global recession," [tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk] said, quickly adding: "But it is still a lot of people. Our stadiums are going to be full, it is going to an exceptionally good World Cup."

Of the 230 000 foreign fans who have bought tickets, Van Schalkwyk said just 11 300 are African -- 76% less than originally forecast for the first World Cup on African soil.

SA expects 300 000 World Cup visitors
Mail & Guardian
May 19, 2010

Town in Southern Cape Hopes to Make Impact as Team Base

The small town of Knysna in the Southern Cape will be the home base for the French and Danish national teams, and it's hoping to use the opportunity to put its name on French and Danish lists of South African cities to see.

Knysna Municipality mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies sees this as an opportunity for the town to make a lasting impression on the French and Danish visitors. Bouw-Spies says this is a great opportunity for the town to put itself on the map, to open up opportunities as they are looking for more exposure post the World Cup in terms of cultural, social and other engagements.

Knysna looks to cash in on World Cup
SABC
April 30, 2010

'Fan Embassies' Offer Help and Guidance to England Fans

English fans following their team's run to the World Cup in South Africa will have some extra help navigating the country. "Fan embassies" will be set up in cities hosting England's matches and will assist the roughly 25,000 expected English fans as they explore South Africa.

Manned by 10 volunteers from the Football Supporters Federation (FSF), the fan embassies will be supported by a text message service giving up-to-date information from official supporters' group Englandfans, the Football Association and local organisers.

The embassies will operate in the cities where England are playing their group matches for a day either side of the games and in hubs such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, where fans may gather.

An FSF team will also produce a dedicated fanzine, Free Lions, for each England match, with logistical information and travel advice, alongside other football-related content. England's group matches will kick off on 12 June against the USA in Rustenburg, followed by Algeria in Cape Town and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth.

'Fan embassies' to help England supporters at World Cup
Guardian
May 3, 2010

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

Some Price Issues Facing Tourists in South Africa

This video from CNN features an interview with Thandiew January-McLean, who is the CEO of South African Tourism. She discusses how her agency is dealing with concerns over local businesses overcharging customers. She claims there is only a minority of hotel owners who have raised their prices exorbitantly.

She also discusses how the country hopes to use the World Cup as leverage to continue to lure tourists after the World Cup is over.


Will South Africa really benefit from World Cup?
CNN
April 14, 2010

KwaZulu-Natal to Provide 15,000 'Tourist Buddies'

The provincial government in KwaZulu-Natal is hoping to improve its tourism industry ahead of the World Cup by training thousands of locals and hospitality industry workers to be "tourist buddies" to visitors. These "buddies" are intended to help tourists as they travel in and around the province.

MEC for economic development and tourism Mike Mabuyakhulu said they were targeting 15000 people to be trained.

“For starters, we will train 1500 people. We will be taking people already in the employ of the hospitality industry but we will also train volunteers from the rural areas,” he said.

“Those receiving training are staff in hotels, food outlets, restaurants, garages, car guards and any industry dealing with people,” Mabuyakhulu said.

Plan to train 15000 tourist buddies for Fifa World Cup
Sowetan
April 13, 2010

Zimbabwe Hopes to Draw Tourists With Revised Visa Rules

The government of Zimbabwe is hoping to revise its visa rules to ease international travel into the country from neighboring South Africa.

Proposals included a special permit to allow travel between South Africa and Zimbabwe and a complete suspension of visa requirements for visitors from the 32 participating nations.

This as concern grows that the tourism and commercial spin-offs from South Africa's hosting of the tournament may not be as high as initially predicted.

Zimbabwe's Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said: "The arrivals have been revised down almost to about 280 000 or so, starting from an all high of 450 000. It affects us here as well".

Zimbabwe calls for special World Cup visa
April 13, 2010

Domestic Tourism to Drop During Cup

While foreign tourism is expected to boom during the World Cup, economists and tourism experts say domestic tourism in South Africa will see a lull during the event.

Domestic tourism might take a back seat during the soccer tournament, however. Advisory and research firm Grant Thornton, which recently conducted a study commissioned by the government into accommodation prices during the World Cup, said last month that domestic tourism was likely to be softer over this winter, as foreign fans displaced local visitors during the soccer tournament.

It said business travellers were likely to postpone their domestic travel plans until after the World Cup and families were likely to stay at home during the school holidays, scheduled during the game.

The firm said it expected between 300 000 and 480 000 foreign fans - 151 000 from Africa - to arrive in SA for the tournament, and spend R8,5bn. Early forecasts of up to 750 000 visitors at the World Cup are now considered unrealistic.

South Africa: World Cup Fans Are Doing Some Tourist Research
Business Day
April 1, 2010

Durban Hopes Stadium Arch Will Pay Long-Term Dividends

Officials in Durban are hoping the arch over the new Moses Mabhida Stadium will be a long-standing tourist attraction -- one that will help pay off the $450 million stadium.

If they take the car ride rather than the 520 steps, fans can stand on a walkway high above the stadium and, although they can see little of the field, the view is breathtaking, if not a little scary.

Months before the World Cup arrives in Durban on June 13, the arch is being put to use as a tourist attraction and is likely to be a money maker long after the tournament finishes on July 11 as organisers aim to make up the $450 million cost of building the stadium.

Giants arch is Durban's tourist attraction
Independent Online
April 1, 2010

Soweto Angles to be Tourist Draw During World Cup

Soweto is hoping to lure World Cup tourists to experience its historic character and distinct urban charm. Local business people claim that bed-and-breakfast accommodations are fully booked for the World Cup period. This article takes a look at the township and its history.

This is the new Soweto, a mix of upper-crust comforts and urban grit.

It is a place where shopping malls and landscaped parks have sprung up among some of South Africa’s most important landmarks of the struggle against white-minority rule.

It’s a side of Johannesburg that residents hope World Cup visitors will venture out to see, where one third of the city’s 3.8 million people live.

Soweto to show face of success to tourists
Sowetan
March 30, 2010

South Africa Safer Than Spain and Germany for British Tourists

South Africa is safer for British tourists than Spain or Germany, according to a report from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. British tourists are expected to be the largest group of foreign visitors to South Africa for the World Cup.

The report, which examined the behaviour of British tourists from April, 2008, to March, 2009, measured how much help Brits needed from their different consulates abroad.

And the results may surprise you. Of the 451 580 Britons who visited South Africa in the 12-month period - and a further 212 000 living in the country - there were 23 arrests, 23 hospital admissions and 48 deaths, due to either accidents, natural causes or murder. No rape or sexual assault cases were reported.

SA safer for tourists than Spain or Germany
The Star
March 25, 2010

One-Quarter of Accommodations Raise Prices 50% or More During World Cup

A recent survey by the Department of Tourism shows that nearly one-quarter of the nation's tourist accommodations are planning to increase their prices by more than 50% during the World Cup.

The survey, which investigated alleged overpricing by accommodation establishments, showed that the remaining 76% of respondents polled raised their prices by under 50%.

Speaking to Business Day Online, Sindiswa Nhlumayo, Deputy Director-General in the department of Tourism says the price increases were expected.

"When you host an event of such magnitude, increases like are expected based on the laws of supply and demand", Nhlumayo said.

South Africa: 2010 Accommodation Marked Up By Over 50 Percent
Business Day
March 26, 2010

World Cup Tourism Slump Not A Problem for KwaZulu-Natal

A tourism slump among South Africans is being predicted during the World Cup, but officials in KwaZulu-Natal are confident that vacationers will still head out to the province during school holidays.

Patzer was commenting on Monday on a report by Grant Thornton, an audit and specialist advisory services firm, which predicted that domestic tourism was heading for a slump during the tournament.

Gillian Saunders, director of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions, pointed out that although the World Cup would damp South Africans' domestic travel plans and that many families were likely to stay at home during the school holidays, there was no reason for tourism providers to panic.

KZN likely to attract locals during World Cup
Independent Online
March 23, 2010

Foreign Visitors to South Africa Increased in 2009

The amount of foreign visitors to South Africa saw a 3.6% increase in 2009, and that figure is expected to see a similar rise in 2010 -- mainly due to the World Cup.

"This defies the decline of four percent that the global travel industry experienced last year as traveller markets reeled from the effects of the global financial crisis. I believe it strongly reaffirms the vitality of our tourism industry," [Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said].

Tourism contributes more than 8 percent to South Africa's economy and the government plans to raise that to more than 10 percent in the next few years.

SA foreign visitors rise, World Cup to boost
Independent Online
March 4, 2010

South Africa Expecting 10 Million Tourists in 2010

Officials are predicting that the World Cup will help bring the country's tourist count up over the 10 million mark.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the World Cup, which kicks off in less than 100 days, would help to push up the number of tourists visiting the country to 10 million this year, a figure many thought South Africa would never achieve.

"What we will do this year is to achieve what many people said four, five years ago was impossible. This year we will receive 10-million foreign tourists and that, in our view, is a major achievement."

2010: Guess how many tourists SA expects ...
Cape Argus
March 3, 2010

Tourism Ministry to Investigate Price Hikes During World Cup

Tourism officials are pledging to crack down on any local businesses and hotels caught inflating prices ahead of the World Cup.

Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the South African tourism minister, said: "In recent weeks we have noted allegations that accommodation establishments in the tourism industry are not responsible, and are inflating prices excessively.

"Until now, our impression has been that this is not the case, but we believe it should be investigated and the results of the investigation made public."

An internet search found that a room at a midrange hotel near Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport that would cost R1,145 (£95) on a typical weeknight will be at least a third more expensive during the Word Cup. The investigation follows an inquiry into airlines for alleged price collusion.

South Africa hotels investigated over World Cup price rise claims
Guardian
February 24, 2010

Tourism Boom Slow to Materialize in KwaZulu-Natal

Early hotel reservation figures and flight bookings indicate that Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal province may see smaller crowds for the World Cup than expected. Local business people are hoping that the boom is still on its way.

Airfares and accommodation have reportedly been pushed up to unaffordable levels and this, combined with persistent crime fears and the effects of the recession in Europe and the US appear to be keeping international visitors away from South Africa - and Durban in particular.

Tourism KZN CEO Ndabo Khoza said this week there were concerns in the accommodation and tourism industries, but they were nonetheless confident of reaching their initial target of 25 000 foreign visitors over all 30 days of the tournament.

Tourists shun KZN over prices
Sunday Tribune
Feburay 14, 2010

Violence and High Prices Limiting Visitors to South Africa During Cup

Violence and high-priced packages aimed at tourists hoping to maintain a tightly secured visit to South Africa are making the World Cup less of a boon than many had hoped, according to this post.

The English FA have returned some of their tickets to Fifa and sales in Germany and Holland have also been slow, amid the disconnected though still unhelpful publicity surrounding the attack on the Togo team bus in Angola and doubts raised by influential football figures such as Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness over cost and security. The last two questions are linked, because apart from the relative scarcity of available aircraft seats and hotel beds that is driving up the price of World Cup packages, fears over visitors' safety mean that most deals are being pitched at wealthy individuals staying in upmarket accommodation rather than independent travellers on a budget.

South Africa's cup is failing to set the world on fire
Guardian
January 31, 2010