EC tourism gets into gear for the 2010 World Cup

 

CEO: Eastern Cape Tourism Board

 

THE Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs, Eastern Cape Tourism Board (ECTB) and tourism stakeholders in the region, met last year to discuss the tourism sector’s readiness for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

 

Six areas were identified in a bid to get the Eastern Cape ready for this monumental task. These included destination branding and domestic and international marketing, grading of accommodation establishments, events development and promotion, tourism safety and tourism enterprise development.

 

Accommodation – the most basic requirement for tourism – is of paramount importance in the hosting of the World Cup.

 

Research shows that there are not enough graded establishments in the Eastern Cape to meet World Cup requirements.

 

ECTB, along with its partners, Tourism Enterprise Programme (TEP) and the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA), are making strides in ensuring that the maximum number of hotel and non-hotel accommodation establishments are graded by 2010.

 

And we have set ourselves a target to have 2500 establishments graded by the end of the year. Small non-graded South African establishments will also be able to benefit directly from the hosting of World Cup, as they can register with Match. This is the company appointed by world soccer’s governing body, Fifa, to ensure the provision of accommodation for the event in 2010.

 

Events of international standard that will be taking place at around the same time as the World Cup will also benefit from the soccer extravaganza. These include the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, the Billabong International Surfing Championships in Jeffrey’s Bay and the Tiffendell Skiing Junior and Senior Championships in Barkley-East.