Cape Town praised from Paris to Paraguay

The positive global media coverage South Africa has received during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has exceeded all expectations and will benefit the country’s tourism industry for many years to come.

“More than three billion people watched the games on TV and many were exposed to South Africa for the first time. We are delighted about our exposure to non-traditional markets in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia. If just half a percent of the global TV audience decide to visit Cape Town over the next five year, we could grow our tourism arrivals of 1.8-million visitors per annum by a further 3-million visitors a year,” says Cape Town Tourism CEO Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold.

“World Cup visitors and the international media have consistently commented on the warmth and welcoming of the South African people – the harshest critics have been turned into the most passionate ambassadors.”

UK journalist Jonathan Fairbridge says: “At first I was very dubious about the World Cup being staged in South Africa. Many people had visions of being attacked and robbed by gangs of criminals in the streets and the Afro-pessimists insisted that Africa could never pull an event of this magnitude off properly. We have all been proved completely wrong. It has been a truly wonderful experience, and everyone who was part of it will remember always the sheer euphoria and enthusiasm with which South Africans from all walks of life embraced this outstanding spectacle.”

Masafumi Mori, a journalist from Japan, said: “In Johannesburg, I was told not [to] walk out of the hotel, so I was not able to form any impression about the city. But here, in Cape Town, it’s completely different. I wonder if two cities are in the same country.”

German sports journalist Ronny Blaschke encapsulates the media opinion of Cape Town as follows: “Cape Town is one of the most beautiful and most fascinating cities in the world, from a tourism point of view and from a journalistic point of view. It combines sights, cultures and the impulse to learn something about South Africa’s political history. The city, with its huge contrasts, is a permanent repertory of interesting stories. It cannot become boring.”

Being in Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has been “nothing but life-changing”, says media consultant Catherine O’Brien from Los Angeles, California, citing the “genuine warm, inviting and rich culture that Capetonians embody in so many ways. I have been blown away and will be back soon.”

Says Du Toit-Helmbold: “Many a mega-event host destination has endured a post-event depression, but so often that was based on the fact that the destination disappointed visitors with less than they expected.

“In our case, the opposite is true. Our efficiency, safety and all-round positive attitude have caught the attention of the world and many a jaded pessimist has been forced to revise [their] views.”

While Cape Town was basking in the glow of hosting this massively successful tournament, its global reputation was given a further boost at the World Travel Awards, where the city was named Africa’s Leading Destination. The title adds further gravitas to the positive media and public perception the city has enjoyed both before and after the soccer event.