|
.................................... |
There
will be ten venues in South Africa to be used for
the World Cup include: Bloemfontein, Cape Town,
Durban, Johannesburg (two), Nelspruit, Polokwane,
Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg.
THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM
INDUSTRY ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT WILL BENEFIT
TREMENDOUSLY FROM WORLD 2010 CUP IN SOUTH
AFRICA by Helen C.
Broadus The first World
Cup to be hosted in Africa will provide tremendous
business opportunities for the travel and tourism
industry of South Africa in particular and the
African Continent in general. Up to five million
tourists (with many from the African Continent) are
expected to visit South Africa during the
month-long sporting event and the Government of
South Africa has committed fifty billion dollars
(375 billion rand) in development projects for this
effort. South Africans firmly believe that the
World Cup will not only put their country on the
global eye but can point a spotlight on issues such
as poverty alleviation and economic diversification
by involving all groups in society. South Africans
also realize that it will face major logistical
challenges in hosting the world's biggest sporting
event &endash; for instance &endash; airports will
have to be upgraded and the capacity for additional
hotel rooms met. The travel and
tourism industry of South Africa realizes these
challenges but also knows that the World Cup brings
with it a long-term opportunity for regional growth
and development as well as further expansion of the
travel and tourism industry market. In fact,
current South African president Thabo Mbeki and
former president Nelson Mandela have insisted that
South Africa's opportunity to host the World Cup is
designed to benefit the whole of Africa. As quoted
by President Mbeki, "Africa is ready, Africa's time
has come, and Africa is calling". Come to Africa
in 2010 as he called for Africans to "celebrate
Africa in all of its magnificent splendor".
Undoubtedly, the World Cup will have a huge
economic impact in terms of jobs creation through
tourism and it will form a true unifying
force. South Africa's
tourist industry is already showing that it is
truly capable of undertaking the World Cup in 2010.
In 2005, there were a record number of visitors
and the future trends look quite promising. South
Africa offers a breathtaking mixture of unique
cultures and traditions, beautifully stunning
scenery, exotic wildlife, diversity of climate and
well-defined hospitality which all add up to a
truly remarkable holiday experience. Consequently,
South Africa is still a relatively great bargain
for the American visitor. In 1994, the
year that South Africa held its first democratic
election, there were three million foreign
visitors. Last year there were about seven and
one-half million tourists arrivals and it is
expected to reach ten million visitors by the year
2010. Without a doubt tourism numbers will explode
with the hosting of the World Cup soccer finals in
2010 and the travel and tourism industry has
outperformed all other sectors of the economy and
is overtaking gold mining as the top revenue
generator. Many visitors to
South Africa are lured by wildlife in the many game
parks of which Kruger National Park is the most
famous for the viewing of the "Big Five" (lion,
leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) but there are
also many other species of wildlife to include
giraffes, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, hyenas,
hippopotamus, monkeys and birds. Johannesburg, the
busy commercial hub, is full of restaurants, major
shopping malls, cinemas and sporting venues in the
suburbs. Johannesburg also offers Soweto, the
sprawling township that is synonymous with the
anti-Apartheid movement and the Apartheid Museum
and Gold Reef Center. In Durban, which
is located in the KwaZulu-Natal area, you can
experience the cultural diversity of the Zulu
traditions and enjoy the wonderful beaches and
Indian Ocean as well as visit the famous
battlefield sites where the British, Boers and
Zulus fought each other. Cape Town, affectionately
known as the "Mother City" is a combination of
European and African cultures. Here one can enjoy
the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront which has superb
restaurants, shopping malls, and boat trips. Not
to be missed in Cape Town are Table Mountain
overlooking Table Bay, Kirstenbosch National
Botanical Gardens and Nelson Mandela's former
prison on Robben Island. Just outside of Cape Town
is the Garden Route, named because of its lush
vegetation. In addition,
there is the Wine Route which is full of beautiful
homesteads, vineyards, wineries, spas and golf
estates combining to lend a unique character to an
area that is known to produce some of the country's
very best wines. There is also Cape Point
Peninsula where you can witness the convergence of
the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. All in all, South
Africa continues to live up to its reputation as "A
World in One Country" and you should definitely
consider visiting South Africa sooner if not
later! For more
information about travel and tourism opportunities
in South Africa please contact Helen C. Broadus,
President of Venue International Professionals,
Inc. She may be contacted at Telephone: (301)
856-9188; Facsimile (301) 868-2218; E-Mail:
vipinc@erols.com.
The
FIFA World Cup is the football (soccer) world
championship, contested by men's national football
teams, and organized by FIFA, the international
governing body for football. The championship
cycle culminates every four years in a finals
tournament to decide which country's men's football
team will be awarded the FIFA World Cup title. The
2010 FIFA World Cup will take place in South
Africa. FIFA decided to award an African nation
the opportunity to host the World Cup as a
recognition of the development of football on this
continent. South Africa will become the sixteenth
country, and the first-ever African country, to
host World Cup matches. Only the host nation is
given an automatic berth and all other teams,
including the defending champion, have to qualify.
There will be ten venues in South Africa to be used
for the World Cup include: Bloemfontein, Cape Town,
Durban, Johannesburg (two), Nelspruit, Polokwane,
Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg.
