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A marketing strategy to ensure the 2010 FIFA World Cup helps make the province one of the world’s premier tourism destinations has been launched by Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the official destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape.

Speaking at the 2007 Tourism Indaba in Durban, Calvyn Gilfellan, Acting Chief Executive for Cape Town Routes Unlimited, says the soccer extravaganza is the best possible opportunity to promote the destination to billions around the world.

Gilfellan says the new strategy aims to capitalise on the unsurpassed media exposure of the biggest sporting and media event on the planet to ensure that by 2020 Cape Town and the Western Cape are among the world’s top 10 destinations. This will be measured in terms of visitor numbers and economic impact, specifically the industry’s pivotal role in social and economic change in the province.

Our game plan is that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will propel our beloved destination into the rankings of the world’s premier tourism destinations and make it one of the top 10 by 2020. The momentum for achieving that is being set now, in the 3 years leading up to the tournament.

At its core is a series of partnerships to draw new visitors from 17 key soccer-playing countries up to and during 2010 from both new and existing international markets; Aggressive Host Campaign, which will focus tourism operators, media and other stakeholders on the Western Cape. Thirdly, its Extended Stay Campaign will encourage travel to the Western Cape before, after and during the tournament.

2010 is the best possible opportunity to promote the destination to billions around the world enhancing the sustainability and performance of the tourism economy in Cape Town and the Western Cape. Unsurpassed media exposure;

“The next three years provide a crucial window for us to ensure that by 2020 Cape Town is seen as one of the world’s great cities, with the Western Cape a globally favoured place to work, invest and live, with an environment where all can attain livelihoods and dignity.”

Gilfellan said that while the city and province have in recent years significantly increased domestic and international visitor numbers; seasonality – where the bulk of visitors arrive in the summer months – remains a challenge.

A steady flow of visitor arrivals is needed for the tourism sector to reach its potential as a provider of year-round jobs and opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs.

The fact that the World Cup will be played in the Western Cape’s winter season is likely to help project it as a year-round destination and will be a focus of the marketing strategy. A number of matches will be played around the province, culminating in a semi-final at the new Green Point stadium in Cape Town.

“Our task is to increase visitor numbers, to get them to visit more often, spend more, stay longer and travel further afield in the province. Achieving that requires partnerships with all relevant stakeholders,” concluded Gilfellan.

Article from http://www.traveldailynews.com
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Labels: South Africa - 2010 soccer

By Anel Powell

Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille has made an "absolute commitment" to personally help businesses battling "unreasonable delays" because of council red tape.

"If business people feel they are being constrained by unreasonable delays, they can come to me directly and I will cut right through it (the red tape)," Zille said.

However, she added that this would only apply to unreasonable constraints that could be dealt with within the legal requirements.

She extended this invitation on Wednesday during a presentation of the city's five-year Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which forms the basis of the draft and final budgets.

Red tape was highlighted as the biggest constraint to companies wanting to set up businesses, according to a study by Wolpe Development Strategies, which was commissioned by Wesgro at the city's request.

One focus of the IDP was good governance.

Zille said the city was losing investment because of council delays in releasing industrial land. Boat builders were considering moving to Ireland because Cape Town had not yet made industrial land in Atlantis available for boat yards.

Wesgro's report noted that SA boat yards produce 28 percent of the world's catamarans. The Western Cape boat building sector directly employs 3 200 people, with an export turnover of R1,2-billion.

Most of the business is based in Cape Town, with local company Robertson and Caine being the third-largest builder of catamarans globally.

"People want to invest here, but cannot because we have not put land out to tender," said Zille, adding that the city had to improve its internal processes.

The Wesgro report identified the city's poor delivery of services and shortage of adequate infrastructure as constraints on investment and running businesses.

Ian Neilson, mayoral committee member for finance, said the city would fall further behind on bulk infrastructure unless it increased rates.

Without money for the maintenance of bulk infrastructure, there would be more electrical failures, sewerage would overflow and water pipes would burst, he said.
"We are aware that the above-inflation increases (of rates) are uncomfortable, but if we don't do it, there will be breakdown of services," he said. The draft budget proposes a rate and service charge increase of 15 percent.

The IDP sets the following targets:

# The creation of 13 000 jobs by business and industry by 2012.

# A direct investment of R3,6-billion by 2012, and basic water and sanitation services to all by the same year.

# The provision of 4 000 houses a year has to be increased to 12 000 by 2012.

# The city aims to upgrade services for 249 informal settlements.

The African National Congress has "condemned" the IDP and draft budget for being anti-poor and drafted without adequate consultation.

"The Democratic Alliance's failure to consult the public before developing an IDP, as required by law, leaves the city with a skewed budget that does not reflect the needs of communities. It also sees the City of Cape Town adopt a rates and tariffs policy that fails to make a meaningful contribution towards the fight against poverty and the creation of a better life for all," ANC provincial spokesperson Garth Strachan said.

He said the rates increase would be a "huge tax burden" on the poor.

The public have until May 10 to comment on the IDP.
Article from http://www.iol.co.za/
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Labels: South Africa - 2010 soccer

Soccer body takes on Soweto company

Fifa has hauled a Soweto entrepreneur to court over the use of the words “South Africa” and “2010” in his company’s name.

Businessman Job Masemola registered his company, South African Dream 2010, in 2001 — three years before the country won the rights to host the Fifa 2010 World Cup.

The case — to be heard on Thursday at Pretoria’s Tribunal of the Registrar of Trademarks and overseen by the Department of Trade and Industry — is not the only company the world soccer body accuses of violating its trademark.

South Africa’s 2010 Local Organising Committee chief executive Danny Jordaan said Masemola was just one of many whom Fifa’s lawyers were taking to court.

The 19 pages of court papers served on Masemola, a former regional winner of the Sanlam Entrepreneur of the Year award, detail Fifa’s demands that the words “South Africa” and “2010” be dropped from his company’s name.

Fifa lawyers say the words make it inevitable that people will assume the business is connected to the soccer tournament.

Masemola said he felt bullied by Fifa.

“There are laws of trademark in the country which must be followed by everyone. Fifa cannot come here and bully the laws of this country because they are a big body. I am prepared to even take this to the Constitutional Court,” he told Metro.

“I have invested emotionally, financially and a lot of time in this project because I believe in it. I have spent over R25000 in legal costs concerning this matter.”

Masemola — who owns a number of other companies — said his South African Dream 2010 firm had nothing to do with soccer or the World Cup. It is a skills exchange programme for school pupils.

The Soweto businessman rose to prominence in the ’90s after inventing a gas food warmer.

Masemola said Fifa’s legal action had affected his health.

But Fifa says that wherever the World Cup is staged, traders who are not sponsors try to gain the benefit of association with the event without paying for the privilege.

No other company is allowed to muscle in on Fifa’s turf. Even branded stadiums — like Joburg’s FNB Stadium and Durban’s Absa Park — have to change their names for the duration of the tournament to comply with Fifa rules.

Just over a year ago, the South African Parliament had to pass a host of legislation to ensure there would be no violation of Fifa trademarks.

“This process of seeking to rely on the fame of the event without being a sponsor is commonly known as ‘ambush marketing’,” said Fifa in court papers through its Gauteng lawyers, Spoor & Fisher.

“The desirability of the tournament for potential sponsors will be greatly diminished if others can enjoy the same benefits of association with the tournament enjoyed by sponsors, but without having to pay sponsorship fees.”

Fifa also claimed that when Masemola filed his application in 2001, there was indeed a dream on the part of many people that a Fifa World Cup — possibly in 2010 — would be staged in Africa.

The soccer body said Masemola gambled on the fact that the 2010 World Cup would be awarded to South Africa. “This pattern of trademark application filed by [Masemola] demonstrates a course of conduct on his part to indeed ambush the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament,” Fifa’s court papers state.

Jordaan said Fifa’s rights protection committee was inundated with similar cases and referred Metro to Mansoor Parker, of the Local Organising Committee’s rights protection committee.

However, Parker was not available for comment.
Article from http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/
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Labels: South Africa - 2010 soccer

East African Business Week (Kampala)
January 22, 2007Posted to the web January 22, 2007

In 2010, all roads lead to South Africa for the world's most popular sport, the soccer World Cup, which is probably the world's biggest sporting event after the Olympics.

This will be on African soil, with some venues only four hours away by air, the closest in our region's history.

Let's play some politics to influence some economics. All the five countries of the East African Community (EAC) voted for the World Cup to come to South Africa in 2004.

For four weeks in 2010, and the 19th tournament in the cup's history, South Africa will be the centre of the world. The 2006 World Cup stands as the most watched event in television history garnering an estimated 30 billion viewers, compiled over the course of the tournament.

The world will be watching Africa. In his State of the Nation address, last year, President Thabo Mbeki said the World Cup would make a huge contribution, not only to South Africa's socio-economic growth, but to "The development of the continent as a whole."

What did this mean? This meant that for the first time in a long while, there will be a sustained over a billion viewers watching football in Africa.

The three million visitors will want to sample other African countries tourism offers before and after. Remember these are big spenders. We need to take Mbeki's 'tip'.

Our countries as a bloc should initially come up with a regional strategy on how to tap into the teams that will participate.

For starters we need to get some countries to come and train here before proceeding down South and after to relax after the games. We have the best that there is to offer in the whole world, all the flora, fauna, the diversity of culture, great hotels, hospitality and much more.

One month before the 2006 World Cup, the Brazilian squad camped in the small Swiss town of Weggis. During that time the team was watched everyday by millions on TV rights at home and many others in Europe. The Swiss economy enjoyed a boom as they team played friendly matches in different towns.

For this period in Switzerland, the Brazilian Football Confederation sold the rights to explore the presence of the national team to a Swiss events enterprise.

In return millions of dollars came into the economy from selling tickets for the practice sessions and TV rights. Hotels were packed to capacity as Brazilian nationals, journalists and tourists followed the team to catch a glimpse of the players.We can plan as a bloc or as individual countries. But we need to follow up on Mbeki's offer seriously and the time is now!

Article from http://allafrica.com/
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Labels: South Africa - 2010 soccer

Durban is still waiting for the green light from the national treasury to start building the R1,8m Senzangakhona Stadium for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Preparations to build Durban’s new King Senzangakhona Stadium for the 2010 Soccer World Cup were on track, but the City was waiting for the go-ahead from the national treasury to start the construction, the SABC reports.

City Manager Mike Sutcliffe said that the old stadium had already been demolished, some basic earthworks have been done and at present something like 2000 concrete piles were being put into the ground.

The name of the consortium set to build the R1.8 million stadium will be announced on Thursday.

But the city council have not yet got the green light from the national treasury to start building, the report said.

Article from http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/
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Labels: South Africa - 2010 soccer