World Cup Impact on South Africas Tourism Sector - Essay Example

World Cup Impact on South Africa’s Tourism Sector Introduction This present essay will mainly focus on the impact the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) 2010 world cup that was held in South Africa had on the country’s tourism sector. The essay will first begin with a brief background preview of the South Africa’s tourism sector. Secondly, the essay will look into the factors that affect the tourism sector. Thirdly, the essay will state the impact of the last world cup on the tourism sector of South Africa. South Africa’s tourism sector Just like many other African countries, South Africa also depends on its tourism sector as a major source of income for the country’s economy. The country is endowed with unique and beautiful tourism attraction sites that have been able to attract approximately eight hundred and sixty thousand tourists annually from around the world and this is before the 2010 FIFA world cup. The FIFA 2010 world cup contributed to a massive increase in the number of international tourists arrivals. In this regard Francheska (2011) stated that most of South Africa’s tourists are drawn from other African countries and Europe, which offers the country the highest number of tourists arrivals annually. Among the major tourists, attractions in South Africa include the country’s national parks, world heritage sites, and cultural and historic sites. Additionally, the country has a vibrant wine sector that has also been able to attract high number of tourists and even the Robben Island where the country’s iconic figure, Mr. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for twenty-five years has been a key attraction sites mostly for scholars in the field of history, this is according to Mattner et al. (2012). Equally, it is of essence to that the tourism sector in the country has substantially contributed to the country’s growth in terms of job creation, infrastructure development, and source of foreign exchange. Factors that affect South Africa’s tourism sector The weather pattern affects South Africa’s tourism sector in equal measures as it does in other countries. This is to say that during harsh climatic conditions such as winter the tourism sector usually experience low activities or low tourists arrivals while during favorable climatic conditions such as summer it experience a boom in the sector. Altbeker (2009) stated that the key factor that negatively affects the South Africa’s tourism sector is the crime level in the country, which makes many international tourists shy away from visiting the country for fear of their own safety. In the writings by Altbeker (2009), he referred to a report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which showed that the country was in position two for having the highest cases of assault and murder, and position one for rape cases in a sample size of sixty countries. These high cases of crime in South Africa have contributed to most international tourists shying away from the country and more so the xenophobic attacks that are common in the country have also contributed to lower number of tourists from African countries. The crime index in South Africa has painted the country’s image in a bad manner to an extent that it had being a major impairment to the growth of the country’s tourism sector. Impact of the 2010 FIFA world cup on South Africa’s tourism sector According to Francheska (2011) and Mattner et al. (2012), the 2010 FIFA world cup provided South Africa with a perfect opportunity to show case its tourists’ attractions sites. Secondly, the event provided the country with an opportunity to create a good image for the country other than the one portrayed by the international media that depicted the country to be unsafe and suffers from the bad relationship between the Black South Africans who are the majority and the White South Africans who are the minorities. Thirdly, the first FIFA world cup in Africa provided the country with an opportunity to prove that indeed South Africans are welcoming and friendly people who show love and respect to foreign visitors. Therefore, it can be conclusively stated that the 2010 FIFA world cup provided the country with a unique and a very rare opportunity to rebrand its image and promote its tourism sector. According to 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2010), South Africa was able to fully maximise the opportunity accorded by the 2010 FIFA world cup that it hosted. This is because, during the months of June and July when the World cup was taking place in the country, approximately 309,554 tourists visited the country and injected more than $2billion into the South Africa’s economy. The cities that were most popular with the tourists during the world cup were Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. In regards to the impact of the image or perception of the country, it was noted that most of the tourists who visited the country had a changed mindset about the country. Furthermore, approximately 90% of the total tourists who arrived in South Africa were willing to visit the country again and they were equally willing to refer their friends and relatives to South Africa (Francheska, 2011). In regards to the long-term effect of the 2010 FIFA world cup on South Africa’s tourism sector, it was noted that the event improved the image and perception of South Africa amongst the foreign visitors. Secondly, the country’s tourism sector was well advertised to the international visitors and this resulted in an increase of 9% in the total awareness of the country as a tourism destination. Thirdly, most of the tourists who visited the country stated that it was a great host (Francheska, 2011). Collectively, all these positive impacts of the 2010 FIFA world cup have resulted in a steady increase of international tourists ever since 2010 and South Africa, in particular Cape Town has been voted as the tourist city in the world by various accreditation bodies. Conclusions From this study, it can be conclusively stated that events such as the FIFA World cup that attracts a lot of audiences and attention can be meaningfully utilized to revolutionize a country’s tourism sector more so by portraying the country as a perfect tourism destination during the period the international event is taking place. This essay has established that indeed the 2010 FIFA world cup had a positive impact on the country’s tourism sector that is being witnessed up to this present day. References 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. (2010). Study reveals tourism impact in South Africa. Retrieved from: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/southafrica2010/news/newsid=1347377/index.htm l. Accessed [07.03.2013] Altbeker, A. (2009). A Country at War With Itself: South Africa's Crisis of Crime. Jonathan Ball Publishers Francheska, A. (2011). South Africa still benefiting from World Cup hosting. International Business Times. Retrieved from: http://m.ibtimes.com/world-cup-soccer-football-fifa- south-africa-tourism-travel-growth-161564.html. Accessed on [07.03.2013] Mattner, R. Mattner, M. Hamilton, M. and Picture Net Africa (2012). A Traveller's Journal South Africa: with Swaziland and Maputo, Mozambique . Traveller's Journal Read More