Mossel Bay keeps rates low during World Cup - 23/02/2010
Mossel Bay’s accommodation providers and tourism product owners are planning to attract both South Africans and foreign visitors this winter by charging their normal low season rates during the course of the 2010 World Cup. ’As a result of the media focus on accommodation and transport prices and possible price gouging during the World Cup, we asked our members to mail us their World Cup period rates - and none of those who responded will be charging anything more than they would during the rest of our low season, which stretches from just after Easter until well into September,’ said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.
Avvio 505 enables Latin American and African football fans to
view live, free-to-air broadcasts of World Cup 2010. Telegent Systems, the company that makes television mobile, and Brightstar Corp., a global leader in value-added distribution and integrated supply chain solutions for the wireless industry, announced a partnership to bring a low-cost handset that delivers live, free-to-air broadcast TV to Latin American and African consumers prior to this summer’s 2010 football World Cup in South Africa.
2010 Property Rentals, an online service where homeowners can register their properties on the website for renting out during the FIFA 2010 World Cup, is eager for tourists to invest money into local communities. ’It is estimated that there will be over 400 thousand visitors to South Africa for the duration of the tournament and that the event will pump over R2.5 billion into the South African economy,’ says Sherrill Baard, Managing Director of 2010 Property Rentals. ’It is essential that this money is pumped back into local communities. In order to achieve this, long term and short term benefits to the local communities through tourism must be considered.’
At the finals of a national youth debating competition, winner Charlotte Le Fleur of Worcester Secondary School in the Western Cape expressed strong views that
the 2010 World Cup would ’not disappoint’ and would benefit the majority of South Africans by creating thousands of jobs and generating billions of rands. Conducted among 266 learners nationally, the State of the Nation Address National Schools Debate competition was organised by Sanlam and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). It aimed to access the youth’s views on issues of national importance and to foster a culture of debate among young South Africans.
Opportunity for SA to display its BPO capabilities – 04/02/2010
The financial turmoil of 2009 led a number of companies to increase their focus
on BPO services. This is due to the significant savings they offered, as a means to control spending. Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.com) believes that this heightened interest in BPO will continue into the coming year. Specifically, South Africa is in a position to capitalise on its expertise within the call centre market and to develop high-end knowledge intensive call centres. ’South Africa, as the host nation of the FIFA World Cup, is in a good position to communicate its BPO capabilities to the World,’ says Frost & Sullivan ICT analyst Mpho Moyo. ’Emphasis should be put on South Africa’s superior infrastructure and its ability to
deliver high quality services by showcasing the successful services provided to both international and domestic clients.’
Schools ’Football World Cup’ kicks off - 04/02/2010
With the 2010 Football World Cup a mere four months away, the country’s preparations for the international event have entered an exciting and festive phase. Alongside the frenetic activity across the nation to put all the final touches in place for the massive soccer frenetic, school children country-wide have started their own football world cup tournament that is modeled on the Fifa event. In KwaZulu-Natal, the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation has partnered with the Department of Education, the Ethekwini Municipality and SAFA to stage the KZN 2010 Provincial Football Festival, which is scheduled to take place this month from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 in Durban.
Mossel Bay open for South Africans during WC - 04/02/2010
With all the hype about the hundreds of thousands of foreign soccer fans who are expected to stream into South Africa for the FIFA World Cup in June and July - what are South African holidaymakers going to do this winter? Especially since many of the country’s hotels and lodges are expecting to be fully booked, prices are skyrocketing in many destinations, and local schools will be enjoying a six-week-long mid-year break? ’They should come and visit us,’ said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm. ’Mossel Bay will definitely be open for South Africans during the World Cup.’
Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Parreira is in Europe to engage coaches for a possible release of players for the upcoming World Cup Preparation camps in Brazil and Germany respectively. The coach, accompanied by Bafana Bafana physical trainer Francisco Gonzalez and team manager Sipho Nkumane, left on Tuesday, 02 February. The Brazil camp will kick off in March after the completion of the Premier Soccer League fixtures, with the German camp scheduled for April. Bafana Bafana will round-off their World Cup preparations at their base camp at Esselen Park in Johannesburg.
mage Source, the world’s leading producer of royalty free stock imagery, announces a prize draw for customers to win a pair of tickets to Cape Town, South Africa for the World Cup. Customers purchasing any product directly from imagesource.com from the 1st January to the 31st March will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win flights, tickets and accommodation to Cape Town, South Africa.
The build up to next years 2010 World Cup was given a major boost asthousands of people turned up for the Gauteng 2010 Family Fun Day event in Kliptown, Soweto. The Family Fun day, a Gauteng Provincial Government initiative, aims to build-up excitement ahead of the World Cup and ensure the
people are actively involved as hosts of the biggest football festival. Premier Nomvula Mokonyane urged Gauteng residents to extend a hand of friendship to visitors and ensure that the tournament is a huge success.
SAFA referees appointed for Angola AFCON – 10/12/2009
Three South African referees have been appointed to officiate at the 2010 African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola. Jerome Damon, Daniel Bennett and Enoch Molefe (assistant referee) will be flying South Africa’s flag high at the African soccer showpiece that runs from 10 – 31 January 2010. Damon and Molefe are also on the shortlist for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Namibia Tourism Board will host a much anticipated exhibition from the 6-11 December, coinciding with the FIFA Final draw event to showcase Namibia to the world. With less than 7 months to the world’s most prestigious sporting event, much like South Africa, Namibia is preparing to welcome the hosts of projected visitors, not only from the international community, but from other African nations as well.
Long Street transformed into Final Draw festival zone – 02/12/2009
Over 15 000 revellers are expected to gather in Upper Long Street this Friday, December 4 for a Final Draw festival hosted by the City of Cape Town. ’The Cape Town Final Draw Festival in Long Street offers the public the opportunity to experience the Final Draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC),’ says Pieter Cronjé, the City of Cape Town’s Director of Communication and 2010 World Cup Spokesperson. The live broadcast from the CTICC will be relayed on huge television screens in the pedestrianised area between Buitensingel and Dorp Street. The Long Street Festival stage is an exact replica of next year’s Fifa Fan Fest stage on the Grand Parade.
Long Street set to become festival zone for draw – 26/11/2009
The entire Upper Long Street, from Wale Street to Buitensingel, is to be converted into a festival zone for the Final Draw of the 2010 World Cup on Friday, December 4.
The Final Draw, which will take place in front of some 3 000 international guests at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) will be broadcast live to an estimated audience of 150 million viewers in 200 countries. According to Pieter Cronjé, the City of Cape Town’s Director of Communication and 2010 Spokesperson, the Long Street festival area will have video links to the CTICC’s Red Carpet Welcome Event so that Capetonians can experience the excitement of the event on large video screens in the party heart of the Cape Town CBD.
Table Mountain lights up for final draw – 26/11/2009
On December 4, one of the world’s largest television audiences will focus on Cape Town for the Final Draw of the 2010 World Cup. To celebrate the event, the City of Cape Town has arranged to keep the lights at Table Mountain switched on until midnight on that Friday night, as well as on Sunday, November 29. ’As one of the world’s most famous landmarks, Table Mountain, is bound to feature prominently in every newscast which will be beamed from Cape Town to some 200 countries,’ says Pieter Cronjé, the City’s Director of Communications and 2010 World Cup spokesperson. According to Director of Electricity Services, Dr Leslie Rencontre, the City will be purchasing green energy to illuminate the mountain during this festive season peak period.
Mayor launches ’Quality Open Space’ project - 11/11/2009
The City of Cape Town has officially launched the ’Quality Open Space’ project in Bellville South. The project links the 2010 World Cup to local improvement initiatives. Equally important is the need to extend the existing City programme of providing public open spaces where people can gather and socialise. The focus of this project is the creation of a lasting legacy by establishing neighbourhood public places.
Louis Harris, who has lead the campaign to secure a team base camp for Mossel Bay during next year’s 2010 World Cup, has resigned his post as the town’s 2010 co-ordinator. ’The Council appointed me with three specific milestones in mind,’ he said. ’I was instructed to secure a national federation base camp, to oversee the upgrading of the training facilities, and to see to the establishment of a public viewing area (PVA)’.
Cruise ships set to make waves in 2010 - 02/11/2009
Cyclone Group, world-leaders in specialised sports tours for major global sporting events, have announced their agreement as official agent for Africa to the ’One Ocean Club’ concept on board the luxurious Holland America Line cruise ships during the 2010 World Cup. The sister ships, MS Noordam and MS Westerdam – the pride and joy of the magnificent Holland America Line fleet - are both rated among the Top-20 cruise ships in the world. During the period of the 2010 World Cup, Noordam and Westerdam will be sailing between the ports of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban, serving as a prime location for accommodation, entertainment and recreation.
Gender based violence issues addressed – 30/10/2009
It is that time of year again when we all focus on eradicating the scourge of violence against women and children, which unquestionably destroys communities, as it undermines the very people who nurture our children and influence the way they see the world. Another crime that has been rearing its ugly head more and more, is human trafficking, which mostly involves women. Serious concerns have been raised in particular for the 2010 World Cup, and one would expect the government and SAPS to have a very comprehensive plan in place by now to deal with it.
The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has strongly urged South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup organisers to grab the powerful opportunity to use the tournament to change Africa’s image. ’There is great power in this (South Africa’s hosting of Africa’s first FIFA World Cup). It is a time to present a different story of the African continent, a story of peace, democracy and investment,’ the UN Secretary General told South Africa’s 2010 chief executive, Dr Danny Jordaan, in a meeting at Mr Ban’s UN offices in New York yesterday. The UN Secretary General fondly remembered his native Korea Republic co-hosting Asia’s first FIFA World Cup with Japan in 2002 and said the tournament was about far more than the 90 minutes on the pitch and was an event which touched every corner of the globe.
Paraguayan delegation visits SAFA House - 20/10/2009
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) CEO Dr Danny Jordaan welcomed a Paraguayan delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hector Lacognata Zaragoza at SAFA House. ’Paraguay is a welcome addition to the 2010 World Cup and performed extremely well during their qualification campaign. They are becoming one of the giants of South American football thanks to their results and we are sure they will enjoy a successful campaign in South Africa next year,’ Jordaan said. After meeting with Dr Jordaan the delegation were briefed on South Africa’s readiness for the FIFA World Cup™ by OC Chief of Competitions, Derek Blanckensee.
Tour Africa Now helps address 2010 accommodation crisis - 15/10/2009
Locally-owned tour operator, Tour Africa Now, offers an ideal solution to alleviate the 2010 FIFA World Cup accommodation crisis which benefits both international visitors and local home-owners. According to a statement by South African Tourism, there are an additional 15 000 beds needed to accommodate the estimated 250 000 tourists that are expected to attend the games. By matching up international visitors with a local host family, Tour Africa Now provides an unusual housing solution that benefits both parties.
Puma on Monday unveiled the 2010 African team kits to be worn by their 11 sponsored teams: Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Togo, Senegal, Angola and Namibia. The kits will be worn at January’s African Cup of Nations in Angola, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (Ghana and Ivory Coast have already qualified for the World Cup, while Tunisia, Cameroon and Egypt are on the brink of qualifying). A Kinte pattern, inspired by traditional African fabrics, was applied to the back panel of the shirts. Additionally, a unique brush-stroke effect, mimicking fans’ body paint, creates the decorative stripes on most of the away jerseys and the players’ names and numbers on the back. Official team crests are positioned on the upper right quadrant of the shirt, while select teams showcase the iconic symbol that represents their team country on the left hand side close to the heart.
Mobile web site for Mossel Bay launched - 11/10/2009
London’s World Travel Group, which owns the prestigious World Travel Awards and more than 600 mobile ’city.mobi’ web sites - or interactive, cell-phone-based city guides - has launched a site for Mossel Bay at http://mosselbay.city.mobi/.
Mobi sites are designed to provide the continuous flow of information to which consumers have become accustomed, and are specifically formatted for use on the small screens of mobile phones.
Press statement released by African democracy institute Idasa, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Local Organising Committee, Foundation for a Safe South Africa and the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands. Last week a memorandum of understanding was signed between the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Local Organising Committee (LOC), represented by Danny Jordaan, and the Foundation for a Safe South Africa, represented by Roelf Meyer, to work together on the Youth Zone: Legacy Network. This project involves young Southern Africans working together to improve their lives.
FIFA scores landmark victory in legal dispute - 01/10/2009
The Pretoria High Court in South Africa has today (1 October 2009) confirmed FIFA’s rights in relation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and with its ruling against an infringement committed by Metcash Trading Africa (Pty) Limited (“Metcash”), the court also underlined the effectiveness of South Africa’s anti-ambush marketing legislation (Section 15A of the Merchandise Marks Act). This pronouncement in FIFA’s favour reaffirms the fact that no companies other than FIFA’s Partners may associate themselves with the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
’Art is a language common to all. It opens windows of understanding between foreign cultures and unites peoples who might otherwise share no common experiences. Sport, like art, creates bridges between cultures, and brings people together through shared excitement. It is absolutely appropriate therefore that art, sport and heritage are all being highlighted this week in South Africa – where in just 260 days the first ever African FIFA World Cup will be staged,’ said Rob Spaull, General Manager of 2010 Fine Art, speaking about the launch of the official 2010 Fine Art website - www.2010fineart.com.
Getaway Show Yields Success for Mossel Bay’s Domestic Marketing Campaigns - 17/09/2009
Mossel Bay’s Marcia Holm returned Tuesday from presenting the town at one of the country’s largest consumer travel events - the annual Johannesburg Getaway Show.
’The recession made us very cautious going into the event, and we weren’t sure that we’d even see anybody at all at the show,’ said Ms. Holm. Holm said that she wasn’t surprised that the most popular brochures on the stand were those titled ’Things to Do in Mossel Bay,’ and ’Self Catering in Mossel Bay.’ ’Whilst we’re very focused on 2010 and the many, many visitors it’s likely to bring us, we have never forgotten that the World Cup is one, single, month-long event that is due to take place in a historically quiet time of the year - and that we have to continue marketing the town for the other eleven months, and for the years after 2010.’
2010 Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan: After the qualification of England, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay and Ghana, there is plenty to look forward to until November 18 when 31 lucky teams will have earned the right to make the trip to the 2010
World Cup in South Africa. This round of qualifications has signaled a shift of focus away from preparations to the actual tournament. We have been developing
infrastructure for a few years now. We now have a sense of the calibre of teams that will be playing in those stadiums and of the fans that will come to South Africa.
It’s official: Paraguay has qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - and will be coming to Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay’s 2010 Co-ordinator, Louis Harris, who was present as a guest of the Paraguayan Football Federation, said, ’Tonight I had the fortunate experience to see Paraguay qualifying for 2010 against Argentina in the Del Chaco stadium in Asuncion with a score of 1-0.’ Harris congratulated the Paraguayans on their win, and said that he was now looking forward to finalising arrangements for their base camp in Mossel Bay. The town announced last week that it had signed an agreement to host the Federation in the event they qualified for the 2010 World Cup.
