Southern Africa to get World Cup boost

Get the latest Flash player

UNWTO
October 08, 2009

As the only region currently showing growth in tourism across the globe, African leaders are now looking to get beyond the stereotypical view that the continent is just about safaris. This vide...

As the only region currently showing growth in tourism across the globe, African leaders are now looking to get beyond the stereotypical view that the continent is just about safaris.

This video can be downloaded from UNTV. It is broadcast quality and rights free.
http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifee...

Tourism across southern African is set to be one of the major winners of the 2010 FIFA World Cup next year, as the regions ministers put in plans to capitalize on an event that could draw up to 450,000 overseas visitors.

Countries could score up to three years worth of revenue just in the 45 days of the tournament, which starts on June 11, according to Walter Mzembi, the minister of tourism for Zimbabwe.

He was speaking as African ministers and representatives attended the United Nations World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) 18th General Assembly in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.

Tourism ministers are encouraging World Cup fans to combine watching the tournament with a holiday in Africa, either before or after the event.

Nations that border with South Africa are hoping their tourism industries will benefit from thousands of visitors expected by the organizers of the event, which is being held for the first time on the continent.

The biggest initiative so far has been the Boundless Southern Africa programme, it is a trans-frontier conservation area for wildlife, initiated and marketed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the lead up to the games. It includes areas of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SADC is also hoping to roll out a universal visa (univisa) by the end of the year. A common visa framework for the games will allow people to move around the region more freely.

Already 40,000 hotel beds across the continent have been secured by South African agents in the lead up to the event.

FIFA, soccer's ruling body, has highlighted accommodation as one of the major challenges in the run up to the event next year.

A boost in tourism during the World Cup will fuel international arrivals that are continuing to grow. It is the only region that has seen positive growth this year.

International tourism arrivals between January and July 2009 grew by 4.4 percent, according to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

South Africas international arrivals grew by less -- 1.9 percent for the same period. In 2008, 9.1 million people visited the country from overseas.

Currently, Africa attracts less than five percent of global tourism. Yet analysts believe it should be a lot more and mega sporting events could boost these numbers.

Since the event in Germany three years ago the FIFA World Cup has become the single biggest communication platform for destination branding.

Checkout: http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed

Category: Travel & Events

Tags:

Southern South SADC Africa FIFA World Cup soccer tourism Tourism Organization

More From: UNWTO

Play All Stop Autoplaying | Play Next

QuickList(0)

Clear | Save

Would you like to comment?

Join YouTube for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.

YouTube	Programs	Help	Policy	Discover
Contact Us	Advertising	Get Help	Privacy Policy	YouTube on Your Phone
YouTube Store	Developers	YouTube Handbook	Terms of Service	YouTube on Your Site
Press Room	Partnerships	Community Help Forums	Copyright Notices	YouTube on Your TV
Business Blog	Content Management	Safety Center	Community Guidelines	YouTube RSS Feeds
YouTube Blog		Creator's Corner		TestTube

Add YouTube to your Google homepage

Current Location: Worldwide Show locations

Southern Africa to get World Cup boost

More From: UNWTO

QuickList(0)

Featured Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

Text Comments (0) Options

Would you like to comment?

Southern Africa to get World Cup boost

More From: UNWTO

QuickList(0)

Related Videos

Featured Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

Text Comments (0) Options

Would you like to comment?