Cape Town Stadium fixtures for 2010

Following the highly successful final draw on December 4, Cape Town will host these matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup: June 11: Uruguay vs France June 14: Italy vs Paraguay June 18: England vs Algeria June 21: Portugal vs Korea June 24: Cameroon vs Netherlands June 29: Round of 16 July 3: Quarter-final July 6: Semi-final According to Google analytics, the Cape Town Tourism website received nearly 8 000 visits during the weekend of the final draw as potential Cape Town visitors from around the world logged on to have a look at where their team will be playing during the World Cup. Cape Town Stadium to host upcoming soccer and rugby festivals The first referee’s whistle will soon announce the opening of Cape Town’s R4.5 billion stadium when it hosts its inaugural soccer game, a face-off between Ajax and Santos, Cape Town’s leading PSL teams on January 23, 2010. The match marks the launch of the Cape Town Stadium Soccer Festival. The event will draw in local musicians and artists who are so much a part of the city’s Live it. Love it. LOUDER! energy and Capetonians’ passion for their city. The soccer festival will be closely followed by the Cape Town Stadium Rugby Festival on February 6, 2010, in which a Boland invitational team will take on the Vodacom Stormers after a curtain raiser between the SA 10s Legends and the International 10s Legends. Featuring the provincial team, the rugby is sure to be a local crowd pleaser. Tickets range from R50 and R80 and are available from Computicket. Both festivals will test the stadium’s systems and processes and put Cape Town’s newest landmark through its paces for the first time, highlighting its versatility as a multi-purpose venue. Tickets for the soccer are now sold out. Read more here 2010 FIFA World Cup™ accommodation availability survey With the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ fast approaching, there has never been a more exciting time to be involved with tourism and accommodation in Cape Town. The Cape Town Tourism team has endorsed a survey conducted by CapeInfo.com for accommodation outlets to keep us updated on their availability. This is the first of several monthly surveys for 2010. Accommodation establishments in Cape Town and its surrounding areas are asked to please complete the survey on the Cape Town Tourism industry website. Read more here Launch of online tour operators’ database On February 1, 2010, Cape Town Tourism will be launching a tour operators’ database on www.capetown.travel – a full listing of Cape Town Tourism tour operators, which will feature information about each operator, Google maps and detailed search tags. Please could all tour operators be aware that they will be called by Cape Town Tourism in the next two weeks for information about the specifics of the tours they offer. For further information, please contact Bronwyn Caddick on +27 (0)21 487 6800 or bronwyn. Launch of Cape Town Tourism’s business site Cape Town Tourism will be launching a brand-new business mini-site in early February. The site will include a database of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) organisers as well as a database of venues and ideas for weddings, incentives, events and more. For further information, please contact Thirumerni Naidoo on +27 (0)21 487 6800 or thirumerni. MEMBERS’ NOTICE BOARD Cape Town Tourism welcomes its 41 new members for December. To find out more about the benefits and resources available to members, visit the member zone of the Cape Town Tourism industry website (www.capetown.travel/industry). Featured Cape Town Tourism preferred service providers Cape Town Tourism launched its preferred supplier programme to provide you with added tangible membership benefits, discounts, special offers and value added services from excellent service providers and fellow members of Cape Town Tourism. This month, we feature providers who offer marketing and advertising opportunities: CapeTown Magazine.com is Cape Town’s largest internet magazine, available in three languages; English, German and Dutch. The Next 48hOURS is an award-winning free weekend leisure newspaper. Mobi Guide: Advertise on this multi-lingual audiovisual tour guide, which is delivered to tourists’ cell phones and other media players. Southern Ambition: Specialises in proximity marketing, which uses Bluetooth technology to send advertising material to any Bluetooth-enabled device within a certain radius. Sleepsleep.co.za is a website portal that covers all types of accommodation (hotels, B&Bs, backpackers etc.) throughout South Africa. gretchen. Safety at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ The attack on the Togolese football team in Angola recently created unfounded fears that South Africa will not be a safe place during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Three people were killed when gunmen opened fire on the Togo team bus. The team has since withdrawn from the Africa Cup of Nations, which Angola is hosting. Although Angola does not even share a border with South Africa (Cape Town, for example, is more than 3 000km from Angola), international questions have been asked about how this may affect the World Cup, which kicks off in South Africa in June. South African football star Steven Pienaar told News 24 that he had no fears about security during the World Cup. “I understand how people might be worried. They have seen what has happened and think it might happen in South Africa. But it’s two different worlds. This would not happen in South Africa.” Cape Town has hosted hundreds of high-profile international events without major incident. For the World Cup, 41 000 South African police officers will be joined by police from around the world, and the South African National Defence Force, to ensure a safe environment for visitors. Cape Town Tourism offers a support programme for tourists should anything go wrong during their visit. The provincial Tourism Safety and Support Programme (TSSP) is a free service offering support and assistance to visitors 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Contact your local area manager to activate this programme. Services provided include: Helping with short-term accommodation Helping to contact family or friends Facilitating embassy and consular involvement Read more here Cape Town’s proactive approach to pricing Potential tourists could be panicking that visiting Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ may not be as affordable as expected owing to rumours of exorbitant prices at tourist attractions and accommodation outlets doing the rounds. The international press has reported that Cape Town is a costly holiday spot, with UK website pricerunner.co.uk ranking the city as the 16th most expensive global destination. The allegations of price hikes have caused many potential tourists to rethink journeying to the Mother City during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, though Cape Town Tourism maintains that the city will remain an affordable destination throughout the sporting spectacular. Cape Town Tourism suggests that local tourism establishments, attractions and operators set their rates at levels similar to those of their high-season 2010 rates for the duration of the World Cup. Accommodation providers, transportation companies and the city’s restaurants, bars and coffee shops are expected to follow Cape Town Tourism’s advice and set reasonable rates that won’t break the bank. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinforce our positioning as a unique, value-for-money destination,” says Lianne Burton, Cape Town Tourism’s head of marketing. “If we adopt a short-term, ‘get rich quick’ attitude and raise prices to unreasonable levels, visitors will spread the word that Cape Town is officially overpriced.” Not wanting to be seen as a “greedy” city following the World Cup, Cape Town is committed to responsible pricing and establishing itself as a world-class – yet highly affordable – global destination. Read more here