The tourism industry in Cape Town will be disappointed that none of the 32 World Cup teams have chosen a base camp in or near Cape Town. The base camp location has an important attraction for fans, who want to stay in the same towns and cities as their home team.
Despite a deadline of the end of last month, FIFA has given the teams one more week to finalise their choice. Six teams have not yet announced their final base camp choice.
The Western Cape has 2 teams (France and Denmark) staying in Knysna at Pezula and Simola, respectively, and Japan will be based in George at the Fancourt Hotel.
Gauteng has the most teams to date, who chose the province for the altitude for their practice sessions, the top quality sport facilities and top quality accommodation : The Netherlands, South Africa, Portugal, Serbia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Brazil, Australia, Honduras, Switzerland, North Korea, and Mexico.
Pretoria has attracted USA, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and Argentina. KwaZulu-Natal has secured Algeria, Ivory Coast, Greece, and Paraguay. Uruguay is staying in Kimberley. Ghana is staying in White River. England and South Korea are staying in Rustenberg. Chile is staying in Mapumalanga. Spain has not chosen between Rustenburg and Potchefstroom yet.
Many municipalities spent big money trying to encourage teams to set up base camps in their towns. Mossel Bay was sure that it had bagged Paraguay, and both Val du Vie and Pearl Valley outside Franschhoek were rumoured to have signed up a team. The Sunday Times reports that the Mossel Bay municipality spent R 200 million on its bid, and had launched an extensive Spanish language campaign for tourism players in the town. Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and East London also did not attract any base camps.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
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A new Lonely Planet travel guide “1000 Ultimate Experiences” has named Cape Town as one of the world’s Top 10 party cities, reports Reuters.
Cape Town’s fellow Top 10 party cities are Belgrade in Serbia, Montreal in Canada, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Thessalonika in Greece, La Paz in Bolivia, Baku in Azerbaijan, Auckland in New Zealand and Tel Aviv in Israel.
One wonders if the editor came to the South Africa, in its overstated evaluation of Mossel Bay, and its incorrectly stated distance between Mossel Bay and Cape Town! The Lonely Planet accolade for Cape Town is as follows: “With the 2010 World Cup bringing a global audience to South Africa, the partying will only get harder as travelers converge on a city already well known for nightlife. Luxuriate on some of the world’s best beaches by day and kick back under the moonlight at suave cocktail bars by night. Two hours east, in the Indian Ocean, lies the elegant beach village of Mossel Bay, with more great beaches and chic flair. Visitors must try some of the wines crafted by South Africa’s world-renowned vintners, either at a Cape Town bar or at one of several wineries nearby”
For the full Reuters article, click here.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
Tags: 1000 Ultimate Experiences, 2010 World Cup, Auckland, Baku, beaches, Belgrade, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dubai, La Paz, Lonely Planet, Montreal, Mossel Bay, Tel Aviv, Thessalonika, Top 10 party cities, Wines
The first World Cup 2010 language training has started, resulting from an initiative by the Argentinian University of Buenos Aires’ Language Centre, reports the Cape Argus.
The University has tied up with a local company called Armiger, and is starting Spanish lessons in Mossel Bay, teaching tourism players, security staff and emergency services staff. Spanish is one of FIFA’s top five languages.
George has been selected by the Western Cape government as the town within the Eden district municipality on the Garden Route that will host the 2010 World Cup public viewing, reports The Herald.
The Pacaltsdorp stadium in George won the bid against those in Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay. More than 10 000 soccer fans are expected at the stadium each day during the World Cup next year.
George has also complied with Fifa’s requirements for hosting a base camp, at its Outeniqua Park stadium.
Tags: FIFA, Garden Route, George, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Outeniqua Park, Pacaltsdorp, Pacaltsdorp Stadium, Plettenberg Bay, public viewing, World up 2010
The tourism industry in Cape Town will be disappointed that none of the 32 World Cup teams have chosen a base camp in or near Cape Town. The base camp location has an important attraction for fans, who want to stay in the same towns and cities as their home team. 
