Having seen first hand the development and changes going on in South Africa as the World Cup approaches, Pete Roythorne set out to discover if the country has what it takes to not only successfully deliver a mega sporting event like the world cup, but also give itself a boost up the world rankings as a business tourism destination.
In his opening speech for the United Nations World Travel Organisation (UNWTO) Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega-events held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg in February this year, South African President Jacob Zuma, said: “We aim to utilise this event to the benefit of mankind to communicate lessons to the world. This will form part of our legacy to help others fully explore the impact and opportunities offered by mega sporting events.”
In doing this he underlined what is key to South Africa’s vision for the 2010 Fifa World Cup; to create a platform from which to build a lasting and sustainable legacy across the tourism sectors.
Roshene Singh, chief marketing officer for South African Tourism, believes this top-down support is a clear sign that South Africa is perfectly placed to capitalise on the opportunity it is being given. “For the first time the government and the tourism sector are working together with a clear strategic plan and agreement on where the country should be going and how to attract business tourism into the country,” she says. “It’s taken us a long time to get to the point where all stakeholders understand that you need to sell the destination first. Only after that can you work on which is the best place for a particular conference. The private sector and government both need to work together effectively on this.”
Changing times: Johannesburg's Soccer City is one of the
most iconic symbols of South Africa's development in
the lead up to the 2010 Ffa World Cup
Indeed, business tourism is something the South African government takes very seriously as it contributes heavily to the economy, with meetings and events bringing in around ZAR3bn a year and business tourism arrivals accounting for 6% of all annual arrivals. But Singh believes this year’s event gives them the opportunity to expand this dramatically.
Double or nothing
“While the recession has obviously had an impact, we believe that we can double these figures over the next two to three years,” she says. “At number 34 in the ICCA rankings, we’re still very much an emerging destination. Our aim is to be in the top 20 – but we know this will take time to get there.”
For tourism the Fifa World Cup is the best thing that could have happened to South Africa, as it puts the country firmly on the world map. A lot more people can see a capability that maybe they hadn’t realised the country had. “People know us for the game parks and the natural beauty, but they don’t know us for the world-class infrastructure,” adds Singh. “That’s what we need to show through this event.”
Karin White, general manager, sales and marketing at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC), believes it’s a question of marketing. “How South Africa markets itself is part of its growing up. We want to move away from the clichéd wildlife and beaches,” she says. “We need to be saying to people, regardless of whether you think it’s a first or third world country, this is what we can offer on a first world basis that will meet your international standards.”
But White acknowledges that the country is fighting against preconceptions and those will be hard to change. “At the SCC we’re constantly battling negative perceptions of Johannesburg,” she explains. “But the marketing drive is starting to pay off with tangible results.”
No empty promises
This is certainly the case, as South Africa is becoming a more attractive destination for long-haul business travel and tourism. But with all the development going on what are the actual plans to ensure the legacy is not just one of empty venues?
“It comes back to sustainability,” says White. “Ensuring that we have a strategic plan is essential. The hotels and venues being built now are not coming up purely on the requirements of the World Cup alone. The government has looked at long-term scope for business tourism and this is part of a long-term plan.”
She does however accept that there will likely be a lull until the end of the year after the highs of the World Cup. “But after,” she says, “things will pick up as we tap into the new markets that will have opened their doors to us.”
Singh adds that as the world recovers they see more opportunities coming forward. “In the medium to long-term, we will be going after big events and conferences,” she says, “but the industry also continues to focus on the smaller events. We’re doing everything we can to take full advantage of what we have been given, such as opening offices in key territories around the world. In the short term, leisure is still growing and we will be targeting corporate and inter-governmental meetings that have shorter lead times, and there are many opportunities arising from the sponsors involved in the Fifa World Cup. Also we’re looking at the domestic opportunities to spread out meetings across Africa.”
Rashid Toefy, chief executive of Cape Town International Convention Centre, believes the changing perception of South Africa will only help this. “I believe people have sense of comfort that South Africa is on the right course,” he says. “They see the basics are in place and that it won’t go off rails. Associations and corporates can sense this, which is why we’re seeing more interest. On top of this South Africa is seen as the hub for driving business into Africa, a sort of ‘Africa for benniers’.”
Developing key skills
But with other emerging markets like China investing heavily in their infrastructure, but not having the spread and availability of skills internally, is this something that will ultimately undermine South Africa’s plans?
“Not at all,” says Toefy. “We’re not leaving anything to chance. I have a vision of a City ICC academy of learning and we have set up our own events management post-graduate course. We’re putting each of our 28 mangers on this course. It’s partly about retention, but also about skilling people up. We know it’s not simply enough to attract the best talent, we have to sustain it.”
The SCC reflects a very similar proposition. “We’ve come from a very service-oriented background,” says White. “We’re a friendly people and customer service is at out heart. But like many large companies we believe in sustainability and developing the future leaders of our business. As such we have set up a development plan and train people through the systems so they are able to keep up the standards that we are setting.”
Meeting full potential
She continues: “We have some of the most amazing people here, but they don’t have the same opportunities as they would do in a first world country. It’s up to us to ensure that we hand pick the people we know are out there and then develop them to their full potential.”
While many in the country talk a good talk, can they really deliver? Singh is adamant they can. “The Fifa World Cup has put South Africa on the world map,” she says. “A huge amount of investment has gone into country to ensure the event is a success, and that investment is now there to help us demonstrate that we can host any world class meeting or event. Everything from our world-class infrastructure to the tourism packages that have been developed, to the world-class convention centres, to the refurbishing and building of new accommodation, has put us on a better footing in terms of holding meetings and events.”
Singh also believes South Africa can now be a lot more confident when it bids for events. “We are a destination that has arrived, hosting something of the size of the Fifa World Cup gives us reason to believe that and to prove that to the rest of the world,” she concludes. “Only after people have been here do they realise this country is a unique combination of the developing and the developed. We have put ourselves in the same category as the BRIC countries. While we’re not as advanced as they are, we are certainly at the same point they were a couple of years ago.”
To experience South Africa is to cut through much of the misconception. To see the development taking place and to witness the enthusiasm of those at all levels within the meetings and events industry and beyond is enough to convince you that if any country can capitalise on the opportunity it has been handed, then, indeed, South Africa is that country. Long may its legacy last.
