More than 90
percent of the spending was in accommodation, restaurants, retail, car
rental and air travel.
So while we are saddened that Bafana Bafana did not make it to the next
round we should be consoled by the fact that foreign fans will stay longer
to support their teams, filling our hotels, restaurants and stadiums.
As an industry one thing we can be assured of is that the world is not going
to forget us soon and we trust that this will be reflected in an increase in
visitor arrivals from our traditional markets as well as the opening up of
new inbound source markets.
Going forward, the onus is on us as an industry to make South Africa the
preferred destination post 2010 – we need to spruce up or service levels,
introduce exciting authentic products and educate the average man on the
street to appreciate the value of being a hospitable nation. To this end, in
July I will be hosting key opinion leaders in the tourism industry in a
workshop designed to deliberate the evolution of our tourism offerings and
positioning post the World Cup.
On another
inspirational note, I urge you all to acknowledge July 18 – Mandela Day.
Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, this is a day when people
across the world are called to spend 67 minutes in honour of Madiba’s
service to humanity. This is a day for you to recognise your individual
power to make an imprint on the world and on the lives of others less
fortunate. All it takes is 67 minutes of your time to make a difference.
