Comments on: World Cup 2010 – the one-continent affair http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169 South African business in Europe Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:34:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: admin http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169&cpage=1#comment-2386 admin Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:00:26 +0000 http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169#comment-2386 The latest tally for tickets sold has been published by FIFA and the situation looks bad (but not desperate, as I suspected it would look by now). Here is how it was reported: "Of the 2,2 million tickets sold to date, South Africans have bought just under 1 million (42%) tickets, followed by the United States (about 120,000), the United Kingdom (68,000), Germany (32,000), Australia (30,000) and Canada (16,000)." Somehow, the stats don't add up. Yeh, you might say, the remaining million was sold to countries not mentioned here. OK, but then there must be countries with more than 16,000 tickets (Canada). Something doesn't add up. Anyway, I'm happy (and surprised) to see that at least 32,000 Germans will be flying down. That's about 30,000 more than I had expected... Christo The latest tally for tickets sold has been published by FIFA and the situation looks bad (but not desperate, as I suspected it would look by now).

Here is how it was reported:

“Of the 2,2 million tickets sold to date, South Africans have bought just under 1 million (42%) tickets, followed by the United States (about 120,000), the United Kingdom (68,000), Germany (32,000), Australia (30,000) and Canada (16,000).”

Somehow, the stats don’t add up. Yeh, you might say, the remaining million was sold to countries not mentioned here. OK, but then there must be countries with more than 16,000 tickets (Canada).

Something doesn’t add up. Anyway, I’m happy (and surprised) to see that at least 32,000 Germans will be flying down. That’s about 30,000 more than I had expected…

Christo

]]> By: admin http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169&cpage=1#comment-1662 admin Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:38:39 +0000 http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169#comment-1662 I received more information today backing up my view that SA's FIFA Football World Cup might be in danger. It came in the form of a newsletter written by the owner of the Whale Cottage bed & breakfast "group". Here is what she wrote: <em>Ticket sales also seem to show that the World Cup may become a “FIFA flop”, with sales from international soccer fans being far below the initial estimates. Only the England supporter numbers appear to be on target. The downside of this is that more bookings for tickets will go to South African fans living in host cities, which means that they do not need accommodation, restaurants , nor shopping, thus bursting the World Cup bubble for the hospitality industry. It is said that FIFA has oversold the benefit of the World Cup, which takes place in a world economy that has not yet shaken off the recession fully. Exorbitant airline costs, and the cost of the MATCH accommodation/ticket/flight packages, with a 30% commission add-on, are also alienating soccer fans. Read more information about World Cup ticket sales.</em> And here: <em>Sentiment towards the World Cup in the tourism industry, particularly in Cape Town, was deflated by the FIFA accommodation agency MATCH announcement that it had axed over 400 000 room nights nationally, and about 65 000 room nights in the Western Cape, due to a lack of demand. MATCH said it had released accommodation that falls outside the 11 June – 11 July World Cup dates, and accommodation that is further than 70km from a host city, as well as time-share weeks, an accommodation type which has not proven to be popular. MATCH has until April to make further accommodation cuts without having to pay a cancellation penalty to its contracted accommodation suppliers. Non-MATCH contracted accommodation is also feeling the World Cup pinch, in that few accommodation establishments are fully booked in Cape Town, while in the rest of the province bookings are minimal. In Camps Bay, for example, the average booking rate is 21% of available rooms, but this average has been brought down by a number of guesthouses who have not taken any bookings at all, hoping for a ‘magic’ booking for this period. Whale Cottage Camps Bay is 40 % booked to date for the World Cup. </em> I (still) don't see FIFA and SA advertising on German television to convince German football fans to take the trip down south. Why not? (Read my previous posts on this topic under the tag "FIFA World Cup 2010" in the righthand column.) Christo I received more information today backing up my view that SA’s FIFA Football World Cup might be in danger. It came in the form of a newsletter written by the owner of the Whale Cottage bed & breakfast “group”.

Here is what she wrote:

Ticket sales also seem to show that the World Cup may become a “FIFA flop”, with sales from international soccer fans being far below the initial estimates.

Only the England supporter numbers appear to be on target. The downside of this is that more bookings for tickets will go to South African fans living in host cities, which means that they do not need accommodation, restaurants , nor shopping, thus bursting the World Cup bubble for the hospitality industry. It is said that FIFA has oversold the benefit of the World Cup, which takes place in a world economy that has not yet shaken off the recession fully.

Exorbitant airline costs, and the cost of the MATCH accommodation/ticket/flight packages, with a 30% commission add-on, are also alienating soccer fans. Read more information about World Cup ticket sales.

And here:

Sentiment towards the World Cup in the tourism industry, particularly in Cape Town, was deflated by the FIFA accommodation agency MATCH announcement that it had axed over 400 000 room nights nationally, and about 65 000 room nights in the Western Cape, due to a lack of demand.

MATCH said it had released accommodation that falls outside the 11 June – 11 July World Cup dates, and accommodation that is further than 70km from a host city, as well as time-share weeks, an accommodation type which has not proven to be popular. MATCH has until April to make further accommodation cuts without having to pay a cancellation penalty to its contracted accommodation suppliers.

Non-MATCH contracted accommodation is also feeling the World Cup pinch, in that few accommodation establishments are fully booked in Cape Town, while in the rest of the province bookings are minimal. In Camps Bay, for example, the average booking rate is 21% of available rooms, but this average has been brought down by a number of guesthouses who have not taken any bookings at all, hoping for a ‘magic’ booking for this period. Whale Cottage Camps Bay is 40 % booked to date for the World Cup.

I (still) don’t see FIFA and SA advertising on German television to convince German football fans to take the trip down south. Why not?

(Read my previous posts on this topic under the tag “FIFA World Cup 2010″ in the righthand column.)

Christo

]]> By: admin http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169&cpage=1#comment-1656 admin Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:26:55 +0000 http://www.thebigpond.eu/?p=4169#comment-1656 So, now FIFA can't understand why the Germans are so negative about the World Cup and about visiting South Africa...look at <a href="http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/147/44131.html" rel="nofollow">this article</a>. My, my. Mandela didn't, Mbeki couldn't and Zuma hasn't done it to date...when are SA's leaders going to grasp that Europeans find the crime levels in SA appalling? And completely unacceptable? No-one of the people I know in Stuttgart, and no-one of my friends' friends, will be going to SA for the World Cup, although many of them have season tickets for the local football team and sit in the stadium every weekend. Why won't they be going? The same (and only) explanation is ALWAYS given, when I ask: It's too dangerous with all the crime going on... Do I try to convince them otherwise? No, I don't. Because there is a real risk that something will happen to a friend, and I don't want to live with the "yes, you said it would be OK" here in Stuttgart for the rest of my life. So, Mr. Valcke, "it's the crime, stupid". Christo So, now FIFA can’t understand why the Germans are so negative about the World Cup and about visiting South Africa…look at this article.

My, my. Mandela didn’t, Mbeki couldn’t and Zuma hasn’t done it to date…when are SA’s leaders going to grasp that Europeans find the crime levels in SA appalling? And completely unacceptable?

No-one of the people I know in Stuttgart, and no-one of my friends’ friends, will be going to SA for the World Cup, although many of them have season tickets for the local football team and sit in the stadium every weekend. Why won’t they be going? The same (and only) explanation is ALWAYS given, when I ask: It’s too dangerous with all the crime going on…

Do I try to convince them otherwise? No, I don’t. Because there is a real risk that something will happen to a friend, and I don’t want to live with the “yes, you said it would be OK” here in Stuttgart for the rest of my life.

So, Mr. Valcke, “it’s the crime, stupid”.

Christo

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