South Africa says there’s room for all at World Cup
CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk says the country will have sufficient accommodation to meet the needs of fans attending the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
He said an extensive accommodation audit undertaken by the national Department of Tourism revealed that enough hotel rooms were available to meet demand.
“The results of the audit show that South Africa has more than 202,000 rooms available across the country and I am very satisfied that this will be enough to provide for the approximately 450,000 visitors we are expecting for the world cup,†said the minister.
He added, “This audit has given us the first comprehensive overview of its kind of accommodation establishments in South Africa, and the resulting national accommodation database will be a powerful tourism tool long beyond the Word Cup.â€
Of the 202 000 total rooms available 55 000 rooms have been contracted to MATCH to provide for the FIFA family (including the FIFA delegation, commercial affiliates, media and hospitality) and the participating tour operators and members of the general public who buy accommodation through MATCH.
“I am very pleased that MATCH has already contracted more than 48,000 rooms and that it is nearing its target of 55,000,†said the minister.
TravelMole this week reported concerns that hotel rate gouging during the World Cup was likely to have an impact on South Africa’s longer term tourism prospects.
Hoteliers, official accommodation agents and tour operators are all taking advantage of the limited availability during the five-week tournament, a report in the UK’s Daily Telegraph claimed.
“Sadly, it is more expensive to go to South Africa than it was to attend the 2002 World Cup in Tokyo – traditionally considered an expensive destination,” said the managing director of one leading tour operator.
Delia Fischer, a spokeswoman for Fifa, has admitted that MATCH, the official accommodation agent, is adding commissions of up to 30 per cent on all bookings, but she blames the rises on increased demand.
“There will be some difference between the prices charged in the normal off-season and what hotels may be charging next June,” she said. “All the Match-approved hotels will be charging their high-season rates and a 30 per cent commission is quite standard.”
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports