SOUTH AFRICA IS READY FOR THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

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SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA IS READY FOR THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

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1. (U) Summary. Tourism leaders from around the world made
their way to the Tourism Indaba, Africa's biggest annual travel
trade show, hosted in Durban from May 7 - 12. The theme of
this year's Indaba was `South Africa is ready for 2010'. The
public-private tourism promotion agency, South African Tourism
(SAT) Board launched a multi-million dollar 2010 FIFA World Cup
campaign at the Indaba that will reach 600 million people
between now and kick-off. Industry leaders are taking the
global recession seriously, but they are confident that 2010
will attract billions to South Africa's economy. The South
Africa government has invested millions of dollars not only in
infrastructural readiness but also in ensuring the safety of the
fans that plan to visit South Africa for 2010. End Summary.



Indaba Overview




2. (U) Tourism leaders and exhibitors from around the world made
their way to the Tourism Indaba, Africa's biggest annual travel
trade show, which was hosted in Durban from May 7 - May 12.
The theme of this year's Indaba was `South Africa is ready for
2010'. Organizers had hoped to surpass last year's
participation level, but attendance at the Indaba was down this
year by 2.35 percent to 12,002 people. There were 1.3 percent
fewer exhibitors at the Indaba this year but 10.24 percent more
journalists, 673 in total. The drop in attendance was expected
by some in light of the global economic crisis and an industry
whose growth has slowed significantly in the last nine months
with many tourism businesses closing down.

Ready for 2010




3. (U) The message at the Indaba was loud and clear: South
Africa is ready to welcome the world for 2010. `Forget about
Plan B,' Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) Chairwoman Tholakele
Dlamini told the TKZN chief executive's business breakfast,
which provided details of the province's state of readiness.
While Dlamini was talking about KZN's state of readiness, it was
the same story across the country, said SAT Acting CEO Didi
Moyle. `We are now standing on the brink of the biggest sports
event in the world, in our lifetime and our country,' she said
at the opening ceremony. `It is time for us as South Africans to
start to celebrate.'




4. (U) South Africa is ready to host the world, and it wants the
world to know that 2010 is going to be a `spectacular display of
passion, of celebration, of excitement, of rhythm and of
efficiency,' declared SAT Board Chairman Jabu Mabuza at the
official opening of the Indaba. South Africa accepts the
responsibility to ensure that visitors to the tournament return
home as enthusiastic ambassadors for the country,' assured
Mabuza. FIFA's first phase for ticket applications drew more
than 1.6 million applications, and the second phase that opened
on May 4th drew 11,000 online applications in the first two
hours of opening, according to Mabuza. Fans in the U.S. are
leading the way in foreign ticket sales, having already
purchased 93,000 tickets, and the U.S. paid the most for 2010
FIFA World Cup broadcast rights. U.S. Major League Soccer
Commissioner Don Garber said ABC/ESPN and Univision would be
paying FIFA a combined $325 million for English and Spanish U.S.
television rights to the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. `Clearly
the world is excited and wants to come. The tournament is going
to have a massive turnout and be a huge success,' declared
Mabuza.




5. (U) The focus of this year's Indaba was on 2010 and other
global events coming to South Africa. According to Moyle, `Our
focus for Indaba 2009 is all about creating the urgency of now.
Our campaign is to get all South Africans on their feet to
promote what a welcoming and fantastic destination South Africa
is. We need to stop seeing the glass half full when it comes to

2010. After the Indaba there are almost 400 more days of
marketing opportunities and the challenge is to get out there
and do it! History is being made!'




6. (U) Mabuza told a packed Chief Albert Luthuli Convention
Centre Auditorium that 2010 brought great opportunity to the

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South African travel industry. `The eyes of the world are
already on us. We confidently expect 300,000 visitors in South
Africa for the World Cup and we remain cautiously optimistic of
attaining our ambition to welcome 10 million visitors in 2010.
This is the biggest showcase of capability and hospitality in
the history of the country,' noted Mabuza.



Marketing Campaign




7. (U) SAT launched its multi-million dollar 2010 FIFA World Cup
campaign at the Indaba Opening Ceremony. Moyle called it a
`big, bold, exciting campaign' that will reach 600 million
people between now and kick-off and will be broadcast on the
world's premier global television channels: CNN International,
BBC World, EuroSport, Sky News, and Fox. The campaign comprises
a 60-second television commercial, a 2010 website, social media
components and a strong public relations drive. It celebrates
the spirit of South Africa and proclaims to the world that the
nation is ready, excited, and celebrating its opportunity to
host 2010.




8. (U) The central campaign theme is that this is Africa's World
Cup, hosted on its behalf by South Africa. `From the onset, we
have said that this World Cup does not belong to South Africa
alone, but to all of Africa,' said Moyle. At the heart of the
Africa campaign is an invitation for Africa to unite and rally
behind 2010, while the domestic focus is on celebrating ordinary
South Africans as champions who will make the 2010 event a
reality and a stunning success. It also calls on South Africans
to prepare themselves to welcome the world and be warm,
hospitable, and generous hosts. Both campaigns celebrate
Africa's passion for football. This celebration drives
excitement for a soccer championship that is going to be
`colorful, vibrant, intoxicating and alive with a fusion of
cultures, dance, song, and music,' according to International
Marketing Council of South Africa Acting CEO Paul Bannister.
There will also be an extensive online campaign component that
includes a web site, and social media to complement the
television commercials. An extensive global editorial and
public relations campaign is also in place. All adverts are
uniquely South African, and they are `warm, inspirational and
make you feel proud. They are about celebration, solidarity and
they encapsulate the African spirit of Ubuntu [or human
kindness],' said Bannister. The commercials began airing
throughout Africa on May 11 on numerous television channels.



Global Recession's Impact on 2010 and Tourism




9. (U) A highlight of the Indaba was the Indaba Global Media
Face-off hosted by CNN and moderated by Richard Quest. The
media event was attended by more than 200 journalists who came
from all over world to hear about the nation's state of
readiness; to investigate the impact of the global recession on
the industry; and to learn about the opportunities that big
events such as 2010 offer the South African tourism industry.
The Global Media face-off also examined safety and security
measures in place for 2010, the state of airport readiness, and
the challenges facing the host broadcaster, the South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).




10. (U) The financial meltdown is testing the industry
globally; however, the South African economy and industry felt
the effects less keenly than giant economies that had recorded
double digit growth in recent times, said Pan African Advisory
Services CEO Iraj Abedian. `When their economies fall, our
economy enjoys relative improvement' - a theory which will now
be tested given that South Africa's economy is officially in
recession. The World Cup will attract billions to South
Africa's economy, but its real and long-term value lies in the
exposure it will give the country and in the view that it will
offer the world of South Africa's capability, efficiency, and
attractiveness as a world-class investment and leisure
destination, explained Abedian. South Africa is on track to
prove itself to the world, said FIFA 2010 consultant Horst R.
Schmidt. `The arenas and airports are ready, or will be ready in
good time.' At least seven times the number of people would

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watch matches at the fan parks as opposed to the soccer stadia,
said Schmidt. This would be where the vast majority of fans in
South Africa will have their best World Cup experiences. The
responsibilities of the host broadcaster are enormous, and the
SABC is well-equipped to meet them in so far as technology,
human capacity and experience were concerned, confirmed Schmidt.
Schmidt and 2010 Local Organizing Committee CEO Danny Jordaan
are confident that South African will be ready with 13 months to
go to kick-off.




11. (U) Mabuza cautioned the industry, too. `Times are tough out
there, and our industry is feeling the effects. It's time to be
sober, sensible and cautious.' Mabuza added, however, that the
industry and SAT are working hard to market the destination and
to make the most of the opportunities the 2009 Confederations
Cup and 2010 World Cup present. The tourism industry perhaps
took things for granted, before the credit crunch kicked in,
believing that tourists would flock to the soccer extravaganza.
`But we cannot take things for granted now. We've got to engage
every possible tour operator and agent who comes to the Indaba
trade travel show to bring in as many people as possible,' said
TKZN CEO Ndabo Khoza.

South African National Parks (SANParks)




12. (U) SANParks could earn up to $6 million during the
month-long soccer spectacular, said SANParks Managing Executive
of Tourism and Marketing Glenn Phillips. The World Cup will
take place during extended school holidays in South Africa and
as SANParks wants to retain its normal client base, it has
decided to reserve just 30 percent of its beds for visiting
soccer fans. Most soccer fans opting for park lodging will end
up going to Kruger National Park, which has dedicated three of
its camps to the event: Skukuza, Berg en Dal and Pretoriuskop.
A total of 2,256 beds will be filled at the camps every day. An
additional 420 beds have been added and new mobile tents can
also be used to provide additional inventory to parks in other
locations that lack sufficient accommodation during the high
season. It is estimated that 15,000 people would be introduced
to the national parks for the first time.



Security




13. (U) The South Africa government has invested millions of
dollars not only in infrastructural readiness but also in
ensuring the safety of the hundreds of thousands of fans who
plan to visit South Africa for 2010, said South African Police
Services Senior Superintendent Vish Naidoo. `South Africa has
learned from other host nations, from Japan and Korea, from
Germany, and from Beijing on best practice security and safety
measures for big crowd events. South Africa's very own security
practices, such as the one implemented for the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in 2002, for example, have been adopted
as international safety and security best-practice by the United
Nations.' Naidoo said the government had invested more than
$168 million in the last five years to boost policing, and South
Africa would use the services of more than 52,000 overall and
about 700 police officers on patrol in stadiums for each of the
tournament's matches. Danny Jordaan noted during a New York
news conference on May 30 that the South African government has
a $163 million budget for policing during 2010.



Comment




14. (SBU) The tone of the Indaba was upbeat and hopeful, but
some industry leaders are anxious about the potential impact of
the global recession (and of South Africa's own recently
declared economic downturn) on 2010. However, the South African
government has invested millions in preparation efforts and
seems confident that 2010 will lure a world eager for diversion
in a time of turmoil. Ticket sales for the World Cup have been
strong thus far and are expected to pick-up once the final
qualifying teams are announced at the end of this year.
SZSYKES