Mauritius joins the 2010 World Cup accommodation line-up

MAURITIUS has joined the 2010 World Cup Tour Operator Programme as a provider of top-line accommodation for visiting fans. The island nation is the latest country in the region to provide accommodation for next year’s World Cup with Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique and Namibia.

Match, the company tasked with grading and signing up official accommodation for next year’s tournament, had to look beyond SA to fulfil its requirement for 55000 rooms. Match’s Adam Brown said last week it had already signed up more than 35000 rooms.

However, lack of formal accommodation had forced the World Cup organisers to look at alternative lodging, including game lodges and guesthouses.

The participation of Mauritius, which would contribute 3200 rooms to the World Cup, would be of immense help to Match. Altogether 6000 rooms have been sourced from outside SA.

“We always said it is Africa’s World Cup,” he said. “To be part of the 2010 accommodation programme is a great marketing opportunity for the tourism industry in the entire southern African region to directly benefit from the 2010 Fifa World Cup.”

Fifa secretary-general Jérôme Valcke said yesterday that Mauritius and the other Southern African countries in the accommodation team had the chance to host fans from all over the world during the four weeks from June 11 to July 11 next year, and show them the “splendid and diverse landscapes and the incredible hospitality the region has to offer”.

World Cup Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan and Mauritian Vice-Prime Minister and Tourism, Leisure and External Communications Minister Xavier Luc Duval made the announcement at this weekend’s Tourism Indaba in Durban, where the agenda focused on the World Cup.

Fans will now be able to buy Fifa packages, which will include flight, cup tickets and accommodation.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, South African Tourism launched its official 2010 marketing campaign, which went live at the weekend on international TV channels . The organisation’s acting CEO said the campaign would reach 600-million people between now and kickoff.

By JULIUS BAUMANN
Aviation and Tourism Editor

Source:http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A997135

|+| <- Back to: news archive