Africa looks to 2010 Soccer World Cup to Bolster Tourism [Part 5 of 5] | Voice of America - English
International tourism experts are convinced that South Africa?s historic hosting of the Soccer World Cup in 2010 will provide a massive boost to the entire continent?s travel industry. Foreign tourists continue to shy away from visiting Africa, but it?s expected that at least 450,000 will visit South Africa for the greatest sporting spectacle in the world. Africa, though, continues to struggle against its image of being wracked with conflict, crime and disease.
South Africa?sdeputy sports minister, Gert Oosthuizen, says Africa is set to reap the rewardsof his country?s ?successful? hosting of the World Cup. According to him, workon all the stadiums being constructed and upgraded for the globe?s largestsporting event and other infrastructure development, such as transport networkimprovements, will be completed ahead of schedule. ?Everything isgoing very well so I think the major challenge is to just make sure that westay on track and we keep focus on the ball, and we will be there, well inadvance,? Oosthuizen maintains. Lelei LeLaulu, a former United Nations official who nowdirects a non-profit organization advocating sustainable tourism, says SouthAfrica?s Cup hosting represents the ?single greatest opportunity? to boosttourist numbers to Africa in ?living memory.? He?s certain that the countrywill not ?miss the boat? in putting on an ?excellent show? to prove to theworld that Africa is about far more than hunger, political conflicts anddisease, and will result in international travelers perceiving the continent asone of the best places to vacation. ?The Cup in South Africa is a great thing. South Africa ?they?re carrying the flag not just for South Africa but for the continent as awhole?. I applaud the amazing work that they have done to prepare for what willprobably be the best World Cup in memory,? LeLaulu enthuses. Nichelle Gainey,the president of a U.S.-based company that develops sports infrastructureinternationally, agrees that the South Africans have so far done a ?great job?in making sure that the World Cup is an African event and not solely a SouthAfrican venture. ?When NelsonMandela took his historic oath as South Africa?s first democratic president, hevowed to establish a South Africa for Africa,? says Gainey, who?s also a memberof South Africa?s World Cup Local Organizing Committee. She adds that thisattitude is reflected today in the country?s World Cup organizers, who aredetermined to involve the ?whole of Africa? in the spectacle. ?When the presidentof FIFA (the world governing body of soccer), Sepp Blatter, announced that S.A.had won the right to host the 2010 event, it confirmed that S.A. had arrived inthe international community; it also signaled that ?Africa is ready for primetime. Gainey is sure thatwhatever happens in South Africa in 2010 and the build-up to the event will?leave the legacy for the rest of Africa.? Robert Boland,professor of sports management at New York University, has been studying ?someof the travel and tourism legacies? of previous Soccer World Cups. He says he?sfound that none of the previous events left much behind that could beconsidered ?lasting.? ?Montevideo andUruguay (former World Cup hosts) are (today) not key tourist destinationsbecause of infrastructure left behind by the World Cup,? he states. ButSouth Africa?s Transport Minister, Jeff Radebe, says this time around, thingswill be different. He says his country will invest almost $16 billion intransport amenities ahead of the World Cup. Radebe says the amount includesfunds for improvements to airports and roads, and the creation of new rail andbus systems. Hemaintains that the money will transform South Africa?s notoriously unreliabletransport system, and will leave a ?legacy? after the tournament. Radebetold a recent news conference, ?We are driven by a desire to make sure thatSouth Africa becomes a destination of choice for tourists and business.? But, according toBoland, the only way to ensure that the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will bea ?lasting? and not a ?one-off? success with minimal benefits for Africa is ifthe organizers ?invest in people? and not just infrastructure like hugestadiums, fancy airports and speedy trains. One of the mostimportant ways to invest in people, he says, is to emphasize the event?spotential to boost tourism to Africa ?for decades after the World Cup is over.? ?People must betrained, providing them with skills so they can work in tourism and continue togain income once the Cup is over and the stadiums are empty shells,? Bolandsays. He?s certain thatif the World Cup tourists have a good experience in South Africa, they?llreturn to their homelands to tell their friends and family ?what an absolutelyfantastic time they had in Africa.? This ?word-of-mouthmarketing,? he says, will encourage many other international travelers to visitthe continent that?s up until now been largely ignored by foreign tourists. ?The ultimate goalI think for the World Cup in South Africa is to highlight the beauty of Africa,to highlight the opportunities there and to highlight the people there.? The ?immense?opportunity to market Africa presented by the World Cup in S.A., says Boland,will be ?unsurpassed,? with the beauty of the continent flashing acrossmillions of television screens across the planet. World Cup organizerNichelle Gainey says South Africa is on course to ensure that the event leavesa lasting legacy in terms of tourism promotion. ?South Africa has aprogram that they call the ?Legacy Beyond 2010,? which is an initiative thatprovides programs and opportunities for people who are looking to continue todo tourism in the country and to make sure that they have a stable base to dothis,? she says. ?Another thing is a global awareness campaign called ?Go ForAfrica?. This?ll create also a long-lasting legacy that?s going to last waybeyond 2010. Funds will be set aside to develop tourism initiatives in Africaway beyond 2010.? Lelei LeLaulu says the World Cup organizers must ensurethat the millions of travelers expected in South Africa in 2010 don?t confinethemselves to that country but are provided with ?ample opportunity andincentives? to experience other African nations. ?Most of the people going to South Africa, this?ll be thefirst and probably only trip to Africa in their lifetime. Let?s give them theopportunity to see the rest of Africa,? LeLaulu stresses. ?Other countries inAfrica should take advantage of the Cup. Every other airline in Africa should beoffering two-day stopovers at a very good price to go to or from South Africafor the Cup. It?s our greatest opportunity. Senegal, for example ? only sevenhours away from the U.S. ? should be offering two-day stopovers filled withentertainment for American soccer fans who will be en route to the World Cup inSouth Africa ? to and from.? LisaDelpy Neirotti, professor of sports management and tourism at George WashingtonUniversity and author of about 30 publications about her field of expertise,says World Cup organizers must ?immediately? begin pitching visits to otherAfrican countries to potential visitors to the event. ?Manypeople are going to be heading over to South Africa for the Cup. Let?s makesure that they have stopovers (in other African countries). Tourism people mustwork with their airlines to provide that at no extra cost. And then also makesure that these soccer tourists have a lot of entertainment at the stopoverdestinations,? advises Neirotti, who herself has attended a number of previousWorld Cups. GertOosthuizen, the South African deputy sports minister, says his homeland is ?nota selfish nation? and there?s nothing his compatriots would like better than tosee Africa becoming the world?s premiere tourist destination as a result of the2010 World Cup. But Oosthuizen also says he?s tired of skeptics who arecontinually condemning ?Africa?s World Cup? to failure. He has a message forthe people he brands ?prophets of doom.? ?You?re in for a surprise.The World Cup will be hosted in 2010 on a continent undergoing far-reachingchanges and development. The sooner perhaps you take note of what?s happeningon the continent of Africa, the better for yourself. You may find there arewonderful opportunities (in Africa) you are not unearthing because of thisnegative perception you have.?