TBCSA

Tourism and the 2010 FIFA World Cup

The tourism industry has high expectations around the 2010 World Cup. Our priority is to ensure that information relevant to the industry is effectively communicated, and that opportunities are not lost. 2010 is not seen as an end in itself, but as an event which will help tourism leap-frog over some real barriers to growth.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is being leveraged to upgrade facilities around the 9 host cities and the private sector welcomes particularly the attention to upgrading of public transport infrastructure in the cities - Johannesburg, Pretoria, Rustenburg, Polokwane, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit.

The industry has already successfully negotiated with FIFA through its accommodation agent MATCH to extend the traditional hotel accommodation which is advertised on the Fifa.com web-site to include non-hotel and even self catering accommodation. This is the first time that this has been agreed to in the history of the world's biggest event.

The following contractual changes were lobbied by the private sector:

CONTRACT AREA	PREVIOUS CONTRACT	NEW CONTRACT
2010 Rates	Accommodation establishment would provide their respective 2007 Winter rates	Provide your 2007 Rate plus 16% - may be summer, winter, peak, middle or low season
Payment	70% of rates paid to establishments, 30% commission kept by MATCH	100% of rates paid to establishments, MATCH will sell on accommodation including a commission of anything up to 30%.
Grading	Must be Graded or graded immediately to qualify	Non-graded establishments can now contract immediately. They will have one year, from the date of signing the contract, to become graded.
Accommodation Types	Self-catering not included	Self catering now included
Room Inventory	100% of the room inventory to be contracted to MATCH.	Not less than 80% of the room inventory to be contracted to MATCH.
Room Holds	Unsold rooms were held for longer periods by MATCH.	Unsold rooms are now released back earlier, with higher penalties being incurred by MATCH on room releases 30 days out from the room night booking.

The Tourism Business Council is working together with South African Tourism, the FIFA Local Organising Committee, MATCH, the Tourism Grading Council and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to ensure opportunities are effectively communicated to the industry.

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