Unsold World Cup hotel rooms back on the market

Fears that World Cup tourists will stay away continue to grow as thousands of unsold tickets and hotel rooms have flooded back on to the market.

Just 100 000 air tickets had been sold despite initial projections of 450 000 visitors, reported Business Day yesterday.

Pule Selepe, the Department of Transport's aviation co-ordinator for 2010, told Parliament's transport committee poor sales could be blamed on a poor perception of South Africa internationally.

"What we gathered from the international media is that SA is seen as a crime-ridden country," said Selepe.

Selepe also warned that due to inflated local prices, South Africa was being seen as too expensive in terms of accommodation and transport.

"International airlines report that there is no major demand on international routes to SA but are ready to increase supply should demand increase," Selepe told the committee.

In the past two weeks, Fifa admitted the number of World Cup tourists could be down more than 20 percent on the original estimate of 450 000, citing high prices as a key factor.

Domestic airlines Mango and Kulula dumped thousands of unwanted tickets on to the market on Tuesday.

SAA had around 360 000 domestic seats still to be filled, reported Business Day.

Lusanda Madikizela, the Department of Transport's senior manager for 2010, said people could expect to pay R7 630 for match tickets and then spend R114 450 to R152 600 on transfers and accommodation. "We expect that people are going to attend four to five matches, and bring along four or five family members so that it also serves as a holiday," said Madikizela.

"But we are definitely going to have fewer than 550 000 overseas visitors.

Perhaps about 300 000, if not even fewer".

On Tuesday, South African National Parks (SANParks) announced the release of over 14 000 room nights (a room booked for a night) previously reserved for World Cup fans.

In 2007, SANParks agreed to contract a maximum 30 percent of its inventory to Match, the Zurich-based company contracted by Fifa to provide ticketing and accommodation packages for 2010, for use over the tournament period.

The agreement stated that if Match failed to sell enough of its inventory, block bookings would be released back to SANParks at specific periods.

Announcing the decision to release the rooms, Glenn Phillips, managing executive of tourism and marketing at SANParks, confirmed that 9 000 room nights had also been released in December, and that all remaining unsold inventory still held by Match would be released with immediate effect.

By January 19, Match had released a total of 314 220 room nights in establishments around the country.

Match spokeswoman Vivienne Bervoets said yesterday the SANParks room release was not part of a broader nationwide release.

"The units released to SANParks were as a direct result of our agreement," she said.

Cape Times

Posted at 08:54AM Mar 04, 2010 by Editor in Industry  |  Comments[9]