Tag Archives: George

World Cup teams give Cape Town a red card

The tourism industry in Cape Town will be disappointed that none of the 32 World Cup teams have chosen a base camp in or near Cape Town.   The base camp location has an important attraction for fans, who want to stay in the same towns and cities as their home team. 

Despite a deadline of the end of last month, FIFA has given the teams one more week to finalise their choice.  Six teams have not yet announced their final base camp choice.

The Western Cape has 2 teams (France and Denmark) staying in Knysna at Pezula and Simola, respectively, and Japan will be based in George at the Fancourt Hotel. 

Gauteng has the most teams to date, who chose the province for the altitude for their practice sessions, the top quality sport facilities and top quality accommodation : The Netherlands, South Africa, Portugal, Serbia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Brazil, Australia, Honduras, Switzerland, North Korea, and Mexico. 

Pretoria has attracted USA, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and Argentina.   KwaZulu-Natal has secured Algeria, Ivory Coast, Greece, and Paraguay.   Uruguay is staying in Kimberley.   Ghana  is staying in White River. England and South Korea are staying in Rustenberg.  Chile is staying in Mapumalanga.   Spain has not chosen between Rustenburg and Potchefstroom yet.

Many municipalities spent big money trying to encourage teams to set up base camps in their towns.  Mossel Bay was sure that it had bagged Paraguay, and both Val du Vie and Pearl Valley outside Franschhoek were rumoured to have signed up a team.  The Sunday Times reports that the Mossel Bay municipality spent R 200 million on its bid, and had launched an extensive Spanish language campaign for tourism players in the town.   Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and East London also did not attract any base camps.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Garden Route National Park established

The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced the establishment of the Garden Route National Park, and its proclamation by Government Gazette, last week reports Travelwires.

The 121 000 hectare park stretches across the Western and the Eastern Cape, and involves the municipalities of George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Koukamma.   The Garden Route is well-known for its indigenous forests, its fynbos, and its Knysna and Wilderness estuaries.  It will incorporate the existing Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks.

The proclamation could have a beneficial effect on tourism, which is much needed for the Garden Route, which is strongly feeling the effect of the economic downturn.

By George, they’ve got it!

George has been selected by the Western Cape government as the town within the Eden district municipality on the Garden Route that will host the 2010 World Cup public viewing, reports The Herald.

The Pacaltsdorp stadium in George won the bid against those in Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay.    More than 10 000 soccer fans are expected at the stadium each day during the World Cup next year.

George has also complied with Fifa’s requirements for hosting a base camp, at its Outeniqua Park stadium.