SPORTING LEGACY
than the other host nations they had visited. Ninety per cent of internation- al tourists visiting the country for the World Cup said that they planned to re- turn to South Africa. The 2010 World Cup took place in
nine cities with Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town being the most popular with international tourists. For Durban and Cape Town, already major centres of leisure tourism, the event has further bolstered their market awareness, stimu- lated investment in major infrastructure projects and encouraged the develop- ment of new tourism products including hotels, restaurants, entertainment facili- ties and stadia. The total investment in stadia by the
South African government and the pro- vincial governments totalled R8.4bn (£630m), more than half of the R17.4bn (£1.3bn) total investment necessary to host the World Cup. Five new stadia were constructed for the event (at Cape Town, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mbombela and Pokowane) while five existing stadia were upgraded (two in Johannesberg, at Tshwane, Rustenberg and at Mangaung). In the words of Helen Zille, premier
of the Western Cape province whose government invested more than R13bn (£975m) in making Cape Town – one of the host cities –and constructed the new Green Point Stadium: “Africa proved to the world that we can deliver excellence, on time and in budget. Our province did its bit for nation-building and sustaining the vision of what we can be as a coun- try,” she said. Cape Town attracted more than 500,000
spectators to the 25 matches at Green Point, 580,000 people undertook the ‘Fans’ Walk’ – which included six points of inter- est en-route – and 560,000 took part in the fans fests. The city saw 19,000 volun- teers recruited and trained for the World Cup, with 1,600 media members encamp- ed in the city. There were unprecedented levels of cooperation across all aspects of city life and governance.
The World Cup attracted 310,000 international visitors. They spent £273m in the country
The legacies behind the headlines In July 2011, the Western Cape provin- cial government hosted the Sports and Events Tourism Exchange Conference in Cape Town with the main theme being an examination of the legacy and the les- sons learned from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The aim of the conference was to look at ways of building on the success of the event in order to attract more global sporting events and grow international sports tourism. The aim was also to en- sure that the tangible and intangible benefits of the World Cup were under- stood and critically evaluated. For some at the conference, the jury
was still out on whether the World Cup was truly a success for South Africa. FIFA estimates that the event generated more than US$4.2bn (£2.59bn) in revenues yet the host country reaped just US$520m (£320m); internal reports suggest that middle classes (both white and black) did well from the event yet poorer commu- nities gained little. In addition, the event was city-focused; urban South Africa – specifically downtown commercial areas
Members of the public in Johannesburg take part in the ‘diski dance’ – the offi cial dance for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
– did well, while the suburbs and rural ar- eas secured little real uplift. Also, while global sponsors and corporate activity took place around the event, much of the real benefits for these organisations were gained outside Africa. For the majority of speakers, however,
there was an overriding sense of collec- tive positive achievements. Marketeers, for example, spoke of the
“Perhaps we should refl ect on how much can be achieved when skilled and dedicated teams of people are prepared to overcome all obstacles to achieve a goal”
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changing perceptions and relationships between tourists and the destinations they visited. World Cup tourists and the media become emotionally connected to the country and the host cities. Initial fears associated with fragile security and safety issues were disabused. The media focused on the sense of place, the conviv- iality, and the passion of South Africans. Plaudits and praise flowed. The press re- ported on the seamless cooperation and genuine hospitality of the host nation.
Issue 4 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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