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World Cup draws more foreign tourists to SA
By ZWELI MOKGATA
LAST week South Africa's new caretaker president Kgalema Motlanthe promised
citizens and the world that the country would deliver the best World Cup
ever.
South Africa's hosting of the biggest sporting event has boosted interest
in the country in an unprecedented way, with the number of global tourists
visiting the country increasing 10-fold since 1998.
'We remain on course to host in 2010 the best Fifa World Cup ever - an
African World Cup. We fully expect to meet every commitment our nation
has made to the football world,' Motlanthe said on Thursday.
While other factors, such as the change in the political environment since
1994, have contributed to the number of tourists entering the country,
the World Cup has accelerated even more the process of attracting visitors
to the country.
A record number of 2.3 million travellers (arrivals and departures) made
their may through South Africa's borders in July alone, according to Statistics
South Africa.
This was around eight percent higher than in July 2007.
Over 1.5 million of the guests were foreigners, mostly from other parts
of Africa (76.1 percent).
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) recently launched its 102-Day
Programme in an effort to boost tourism in the province, which is the
country's eighth preferred (out of nine) destination amongst South Africans.
Ironically, the province is more attractive to foreign visitors than South
Africans.
It is the fourth most preferred province amongst foreigners.
Charles Ndabeni, the newly appointed chief executive of the MTPA, said
that planning needs to cover marketing, business development, product
development and conservation management.
Ndabeni, who is currently working towards his MBA in Tourism, said: 'We
are not planning for the World Cup, but we are using 2010 as a catalyst
for improving the tourism industry in the province.'
Tourism currently contributes eight percent to South Africa 's Gross Domestic
Product , but Ndabeni says that by 2014 it must contribute 12percent,
adding: 'We need to mobilise tour operators and airlines, because if we
don't stay in the mindset of consumers, we won't be successful.'
dispatch.co.za,
2008/09/29
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