Pretoria - In less than 24 days South Africa will host the first African World Cup which is not only expected to bring in tourists in their numbers but also create a lasting legacy.
Independent consulting and accounting firm Grant Thornton in April updated their projections about the number of people expected to visit the country over the course of the tournament to 373 000 which is down from 483 000. The firm adds that some of the 105 000 visitors to South Africa over the course of the month-long spectacle are expected not to hold tickets for the tournament.
However, Nedbank senior economist Nicky Weimar said the number was unlikely.
“Based on our estimates we are likely to have 150 000 to 250 000 people and this is likely to translate to between 0.2 and 0.5 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth dependent on how much people spend,” said Weimer.
Weimar said the country should not be too concerned about the numbers of people coming into the country for the tournament.
“Even if we don’t get the numbers or the numbers are lower, the World Cup will leave an important legacy for instance it brought infrastructure spending which is underway that is essential for the long term growth rate. Secondly it will grow tourism in structural bounds giving our country exposure. It will put our country on the map and will continue to boost tourism for years going into the future,” she said.
Weimar said though data showed that consumer spending was constrained, it could change over the course of the World Cup. “The World Cup will lift the mood although people will remain cautious about their spending,” she added.
Africa’s first World Cup is going to kick-off on 11 June to much excitement among South Africans with the International Marketing Council (IMC) running several marketing campaigns that are aimed at building national pride and unity.
Among some of these campaigns is the Fly the Flag Campaign, Football Fridays and the People’s Bus.
“These initiatives are being very well received and we are increasingly seeing cars, homes and offices draped in the national flag,” the IMC’s Communications Manager Kalay Maistry told BuaNews.
The People’s Bus, which floor resembles a football pitch, has foosball tables, World Cup trivia and a mini cinema showing highlights of past matches, is taking the excitement of the upcoming tournament to people across the country.
Asked about the mood ahead of kick-off abroad Maistry said: “Internationally football fans are extremely excited and are really looking forward to the kick-off of the world’s largest football spectacle.”
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SACCI) chief executive officer Neren Rau said indications of actual arrivals will be lower than originally projected with supporting evidence identified in the number of rooms booked.
“A number of infrastructure projects for example roads will not be completed in time for the World Cup. It is anticipated that the remaining days would be spent on “tidy up” operations as these projects are postponed until after the world cup.
The soccer spectacle is expected to inject about R55 billion into the economy as well as create approximately 415 400 jobs.
“The real benefits will emanate from profiling on a global scale which will generate long term spin-offs. The projections have helped boost confidence and expectations domestically.
“These improvements in infrastructure not only bode well for the World Cup but also in terms of long term benefits for South Africa. Infrastructure development will definitely provide a stronger platform for future economic growth than if South Africa was not hosting the event,” said Rau.
Tourism minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk recently said during his Budget Vote that the local tourism industry outperformed world trends in 2009, with a growth of 3.6 percent in foreign arrivals with a total of more than 9.9 million foreign arrivals to the country compared to about 9.6 million in 2008. This increase represented a 7.4 percent contribution to GDP.
Government has actively worked towards the upgrade of the country’s infrastructure that includes a R19 billion transport upgrade for among others refurbished airports and a new terminal at OR Tambo International Airport. – BuaNews
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The men’s World Cup is considered the most popular sporting event in the world and is followed with passionate interest around the globe—the final game of the 2002 tournament was played to a television audience of more than 1 billion viewers. Founded in 1930 with just 13 teams, the tournament now attracts entries from more than 200 countries. The teams must participate in elimination games within their own regions before qualifying to become one of the 32 nations participating in the final tournament.
Soccer, game played by two teams on a rectangular field, in which players attempt to knock a round ball through the opponents’ goal, using any part of the body except the hands. Generally, players use their feet and heads as they kick, dribble, and pass the ball toward the goal. One player on each team guards the goal. This player, the goalkeeper, is the only player allowed to touch the ball with the hands while it is in play.
Soccer is a free-flowing game that has relatively few rules and requires little equipment. All that is needed to play is an area of open space and a ball. Much of the world's soccer is played informally, without field markings or real goals. In many places, the game is played barefoot using rolled-up rags or newspapers as a ball. Soccer is the world's most popular sport, played by people of all ages in about 200 countries. The sport has millions of fans throughout the world.
Only in the United States and Canada is the game referred to as soccer. Outside these countries the sport is commonly called football or fútbol in Spanish-speaking countries, where the game is particularly popular. The official name of the sport is association football. The word soccer is a slang corruption of the abbreviation assoc.
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the worldwide governing body of soccer. FIFA governs all levels of soccer, including professional play, Olympic competitions, and youth leagues. The organization also governs the sport’s premier event, the World Cup, an international competition held every four years pitting national teams from 32 countries against one another.
Fifa 2010 Worldcup Handbook.
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