The 2010 will be very difficult for South Africa to totally confine within it’s borders. There will definitely be a spill-over into the rest of Southern Africa. This will be a chance for this region to sell itself collectively to the benefit of all the economies involved. There are going to be an estimated two million visitors to this country during the World Cup.
For many this will be their very first time in Africa so it will be worthwhile for them to see as much of Southern Africa as possible. Mozambique has some of the most beautiful Islands and coastal areas in the world. So it will make a lot of sense for visitors to pay a quick visit to these wonderful resorts. SA Tourism should really have worked with its sister organisations in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho to jointly promote this wonderful region.
For South Africa this would be a unique type of aid to its neighbours – unique in that it would be aid from which it also directly and indirectly benefits. The point is that if we put on a good show more and more people around the world will want to visit Africa, particularly Southern Africa. South Africa is the logical hub via which most of them will access the region. So even if there are tourist who want to go and see the magnificent game in Savuti, Northern Botswana, they have to come via OR Tambo International Airport and possibly spend a day or two in South Africa before proceeding. So even visitors destined for Botswana will still spend hard currency in South Africa.
The World Cup will put South Africa in the enviable position of being the gateway to destinations such as the majestic Victoria Falls, the Okavango Swamps and Lake Kariba to name but a few.
South African touring companies should be sending out promotional material advertising wonderful trips to the Islands of Mozambique or selling boat safari packages on the Zambezi. These are resorts South Africa does not necessarily have but from which it can definitely benefit big-time and this co-marketing must begin at the World Cup.
The benefits of such co-marketing are sustainable well into the future and will contribute towards transforming this region into an economic success. Recently the new Unity Government in Zimbabwe took the very practical step of discarding with the Zim dollar and adopting the rand as its official currency. One economic analyst saw this as a first step towards the establishment of a Southern African currency which would be necessary in an eventual union such as that of the EU. Similarly co-marketing tourism in the region could represent a very giant step in this direction.
Why is this “aid”? To me it looks like good business, and why the success of one’s neighbours is to be sought – all can benefit.
Get away from the “aid” mentality!