The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Survey of 98 tourists in six provinces indicates actual experiences of tourists during World Cup were completely different to pre-existing perceptions.
Results are a ringing endorsement of South Africa's successful hosting of the 2010 World Cup.
Restoring SA Tourism's budget necessary for South Africa to build on World Cup success and country's immense tourism potential.


The Democratic Alliance today publishes its own research on tourist perceptions during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This research indicates that impressions gained by the estimated 383 000 World Cup tourists who visited our shores are better even that what has been reported in the past.

International perceptions of our country sometimes indicate a relatively dangerous and costly long-haul destination with poor service levels and limited tourism experiences. This is confirmed by SA Tourism Brand Tracker which identifies perceptions of safety and security and value-for-money as the biggest barriers to travel in South Africa.

The tourism survey conducted by the Democratic Alliance during the World Cup period indicates that actual experiences of tourists during the World Cup were completely different to pre-existing perceptions. In fact, the established trend of tourists having a far more positive impression of South Africa after visiting the country compared to their perceptions before arrival, was deepened by the World Cup phenomenon.

The survey was conducted by means of 98 face-to-face interviews with tourists in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State and Mpumalanga during the World Cup. Interviews were conducted in and around the stadiums during games, at airports, and travelling to and from World Cup fixtures on domestic airlines, the Gautrain, inter-city shuttles, Rea Vaya, Park and Rides, and fan walks. We consider the sample to be an authentic representation of these tourist perceptions of our country during the event.

Tourists were interviewed from every continent, other than Africa. It proved especially difficult - other than a handful of fans from Kampala who had only been in the country for two hours - to find visiting fans from other African countries. Ghanaians, Nigerians, Cameroonians and Ivorians who were met during the World Cup had all been resident in South Africa for a number of years and could not be considered tourists in the generally understood meaning of the term. However, the tourists interviewed from the other continents seem roughly proportional to the relative numbers of these visitors in our country between 11 June and 11 July.

The results are a ringing endorsement of our successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and a testament to the successful rebranding of our country that occurred during this period. These results are detailed in the attached spreadsheet.

Tourists were asked five questions, as follows:

1. How would you describe the reception you have received in South Africa? Very friendly, friendly, somewhat unfriendly, or very unfriendly?

The survey reveals that World Cup tourists found South Africans to be amongst the friendliest people in the world. 11% described South Africans as "friendly" and "hospitable", while an exceptionally high 89% found South Africans to be "extremely" or "very" friendly and hospitable. Not one of the tourists interviewed claimed South Africa to be "unfriendly" or "somewhat unfriendly".

2. Would you say you have felt very safe, safe, somewhat unsafe or very unsafe during your stay?

The visible deployment of an additional 40 000 SAPS officers during the World Cup enabled 26.4% of tourists to feel "very safe" and 69.8% to feel "safe". Many tourists spoke of taking "reasonable precautions", with only 3.8% feeling "somewhat unsafe". A number indicated that their actual experiences were completely different to what they had been led to believe to expect.

3. How did you find South Africa as a value-for-money destination? Were prices cheaper than back home, about the same as home, or more expensive?

Fears that World Cup tourists might be overcharged proved unfounded. Competition in the hospitality industries ensured that 48% of our tourists found prices reasonable and similar to those back home, while a further 45% found our prices, especially restaurants and food, cheaper than in their home country. Only 6.8% found prices more expensive, with most respondents finding taxi fares or accommodation "more expensive".

4. What was your best experience during your visit to South Africa?

23.5% of World Cup visitors found watching their team and the general World Cup experience the highlight of their trip. Excluding the football, 31.5% of our tourists found the Kruger Park, safaris, whale watching, open spaces and game drives their most memorable experience during the tournament, while 25.4% found Cape Town and its associated tourist attractions like Table Mountain, Robben Island and the wine route outstanding.

24.6% of tourists found South Africa's people themselves to be their most rewarding experience. Fans spoke of the ongoing development of our rainbow nation and non-racial crowds singing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika together at fan parks and at beach fronts to be personally unforgettable.

5. What was your worst experience during the World Cup or where do you think South Africa can effect improvements to offer visitors a better tourism experience?

75.5% of our tourists found transport to be either their worst experience during the World Cup, or the area where the greatest improvement is needed. Half of these identified needed improvements were public transport capacity, with the remaining 50% including the R104 into Rustenburg, potholes, untarred roads, clogged traffic in Johannesburg and expensive taxis. As much as public transport improved during the World Cup, our tourists are telling us that we are not near international standards as yet.

Conclusion

This survey conducted by the DA shows that the potential for tourism in our country to spur economic growth remains impressive due to the significant gap between actual experiences in our country and some negative perceptions that exist abroad. Provided South Africa resolves its industrial disputes and refrains from self-inflicted negative publicity abroad, this gap can be bridged through aggressive marketing of our country in carefully selected markets overseas. Restoring SA Tourism's budget cuts of R160 million over the MTEF period and competing effectively with other long-haul destinations such as Australia, which spends 1.8 times more than South Africa in marketing their country, will unlock this potential. The World Cup has proved that this potential is far greater than previously realised, but single minded determination is needed to take advantage of that.