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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is delighted with the way in which Friday's FIFA 2010 World Cup draw in Cape Town was carried out. The arrangements and atmosphere that prevailed at the Long Street fan park, and professionalism with which events proceeded at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, was quite fantastic to witness.

The extensive crowd was in excellent spirits and locals were noticeably friendly to the numerous fans from other countries who were also attending the festivities.

Along with my colleagues Patricia Kopane MP, Willem Faber MP and Masizole Mnqasela MP, I was highly impressed with the professional arrangements and the effective and visible security that were in place when we visited.

Best of all, our locals gave the foreign visitors a typical dose of South African hospitality which we are sure made them feel very welcome. This augurs well for what we hope will be a very positive tourism experience for the estimated 475 000 fans that will be visiting our country next year.

The Democratic Alliance believes that if the standard of organisation we saw thus far is maintained throughout the FIFA 2010 World Cup, we can expect this 19th staging of the tournament to potentially be the best ever. The uniquely African buzzing experience was something that World Cup fans would not have experienced before, and allied to professional execution and good value for money experience, will certainly enhance perceptions of our country as a desirable tourism destination and underpin the sustainability of the industry well after the final whistle has blown.