Mad rush begins for South Africa

Monday, 7th December 2009

South Africa’s tourism industry is currently gearing up and preparing for the massive crowds of sports fans that are expected to descend on the region in order to watch the World Cup.

The World Cup draw was announced just a few days ago and the phones of travel agents around the globe are ringing off the hook as football fans finalise travel arrangements and try to make ‘last-minute’ bookings.

The event is set to be one of the biggest and most lavish to date, kicking off with a glamorous ceremony hosted by Charlize Theron in Cape Town. The tournament will then begin on June 11, drawing to a close on July 11.

A total of 63 matches will be held in total, and travel agents such as Thomas Cook Sport are offering football fans tailor-made sports packages, which allow them to get the most out of the experience. These packages also include special deals, offering fans their money back if England win the World Cup and Wayne Rooney becomes the top scorer.

Suketu Patel is the president of the Southern African football body Cosafa. He recently went on record to say that it is important for both host cities and countries across the Southern Africa region to think about the long-term effects of the tournament.

Mt Patel went on to say that; “There are opportunities from tourism and teams preparing in the region, but this is not a very long-term thing. I think that the benefit that we can get as a zone is for countries to make themselves known for the potential that they have - either as an investment destination, a tourism destination, or as a sporting destination.”

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