Audit of World Cup hospitality prices launched

The Department of Tourism has appointed Grant Thornton to conduct a survey of World Cup accommodation prices to ensure establishments are not inflating rates excessively.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the auditing company had been mandated to benchmark South African accommodation prices against those of other nations that previously hosted the World Cup.

"In recent weeks we have noted allegations that accommodation establishments in the tourism industry are not (acting) responsibly, and are inflating prices excessively. Until now our impression has been that this is not the case, but we believe it should be investigated and the results of the investigation made public."

Van Schalkwyk said price-gouging could be harmful to the reputation of the local tourism industry.

Bloomberg

Posted at 09:38AM Feb 23, 2010 by Editor in Residential  |