Limpopo will host four matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, including a match that may be decisive in settling the host team’s fortunes in the tournament. The spanking new Peter Mokaba Stadium has been declared ready and the town of Polokwane and the province of Limpopo is determined to provide a memorable experience for the thousands of first-time visitors who will be flocking to the province.
Fortunately for Limpopo, each of the four matches involves completely new teams, so by the end of the tournament, the fans and television viewers of at least eight countries will have been exposed to the attractions that the province has to offer. This offers an unparalleled opportunity in destination marketing, one that the province’s administration and tourist companies have been preparing for for several years.
One of the matches, between France and Mexico, may even have a bearing on whether or not South Africa advances to the second round of the tournament, with both competing teams being in Group A with the host nation.
South Africa is expecting anywhere between 350 000 and 450 000 foreign visitors for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Even the global economic downturn is not going to stop the world’s premier soccer tournament from being a great catalyst for development in Southern Africa.
Spending within South Africa has already boosted the economy to a significant degree. Huge amounts of government money have gone into improving infrastructure: R8.4-billion on stadiums; R19-billion on airports; and R5.5‑billion on improving roads and railways.
A successful host
That South Africa is ready to host the FIFA spectacular is no longer in question: in short order in 2009, the country successfully hosted the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, the British and Irish Lions rugby tour, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the
International Cricket Council’s Champions’ Trophy. Increasingly, South Africa is a sporting venue of choice for the world.
Polokwane itself has proven credentials as a host of large events.The Council of Southern African Football Associations Cup semi-final was played at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium, as was a group qualifying fixture for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Polokwane has successfully hosted a World Shooting Championships, the South Africa National Indigenous Games, the Engen International Athletic Series and the Absa National Athletic Series. In 2008, the city showed its capacity to host another major event when it welcomed the 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC).
The province is expecting to leverage increased tourism income in the years that follow 2010. South Africa’s tourism industry has been bucking the international trend for some time, with arrival numbers trending upwards. In 2008, South Africa had 9.5 million foreign visitors, up by half a million on the previous year. It is confidently expected that the soccer tournament will further benefit South Africa via the ‘Barcelona Effect’. That city enjoyed several years of improved international image and vastly increased visitor numbers in the period after it hosted the Summer Olympics.
The local airport has been upgraded at a cost of R35-million and boasts a new terminal. The Polokwane International Airport’s (PIA) capacity has been extended to 200 000 passengers a year and will serve as an overflow airport for Johannesburg for the duration of the tournament. The PIA could well prove to be the most popular point of entry for tourists in 2010, and in anticipation of this an additional hangar is being prepared to serve as an extended terminal during the peak few months around the World Cup.
Polokwane’s strategic location as a gateway to a number of other Southern African countries(Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique) presents unique opportunities, not only in logistics but in tourism.
International impact
Cooperation between various agencies is ensuring that the benefits of the tournament extend beyond South Africa’s boundaries. As an example, an investment seminar was organised in 2009 by the South African High Commission in Swaziland in partnership with the government of Swaziland.
The major international scheme set to benefit all of Southern Africa is the Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) 2010 Development Strategy. This envisages the spin-off from the tournament being felt in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Collectively, these countries will use the World Cup to develop the seven transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) in the region. The TFCA route will offer tourists the experience of two oceans, varied landscapes, major rivers, deserts, canyons, mountains and diverse cultures across the nine countries in one trail. 2010 TFCA developments include joint marketing, development of services and packages, investment and infrastructure and ease of movement for tourists across borders. The brand name chosen for TFCA is Boundless Southern Africa – nature, culture, community.
As a first stage in popularising the message, veteran explorer Kingsley Holgate set off across Africa along the Boundless Africa route in May 2009. Along his route, soccer fields were either upgraded or built and he distributed soccer balls and whistles at every venue. Teams from each venue then competed for the Boundless Southern Africa trophy, further cementing the link between expanded tourism opportunities and the FIFA Soccer World Cup™.
The concept of transfrontier parks is already far advanced as a branding initiative and the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ is going to greatly increase awareness of this unique and exciting concept. Limpopo is involved in two of the bigger parks in this plan to create vast ecosystems where animals can roam freely across tens of thousands of hectares.
The tourism sector in Limpopo has always benefited from its proximity to the economic powerhouse of South Africa, Gauteng. This is set to grow with the increased awareness that the soccer tournament will bring. At the centre of Limpopo’s tourist offering is the iconic the Kruger National Park, most of which borders Limpopo.
The Vhembe District Municipality allocated R30-million to an ecotourism project at Tshikuyu Village on the outskirts of Kruger National Park to ensure that the benefits of the international tournament are spread among some of the local population. The developers aimed to complete the project during this period, when it would likely get a boost from increased visitor numbers. Some 93 temporary jobs were created in the construction phase and a further 200 jobs will be created to provide security, game ranging and other services.
A cultural village will be part of the complex which will also include a conference hall, a restaurant and a curio shop.
The stadium
Instead of pulling down the old stadium in Polokwane it was decided to add another stadium and create a sporting complex which can be used for more than one purpose. The new 45 000-seater stadium is based on a design by Prism Architects and inspired by the baobab tree. The bulk of the building work was done by a consortium led by WBHO.
Other supporting facilities are also being constructed as part of the complex to give it the best chance possible of attracting future events and serving the local communities for many years to come. There are VIP reception areas, lounges, offices and storage areas. The intention is that local soccer teams and rugby teams will use the stadium as home base.
ONLINE RESOURCES
2010 FIFA World Cup South
Africa™: www.fifa.com
Limpopo Tourism: www.golimpopo.com/world-cup.html
South Africa 2010: www.sa2010.gov.za
