Digital Crosstalk

South Africa tourist chiefs warn against World Cup greed

Posted by Brian | Filed under tourism

The World Cup heads to South Africa in 2010, but tourist chiefs have warned hotels, airlines and restaurants not to scare off potential visitors by hiking up prices.

With some 500,000 tourists expected to visit the country during the summer, tourism officials are worried that visitors may be deterred from returning by exorbitant costs as hotels and other accommodation seek to drive a profit by increasing prices.

Cape Town-based tourism official Calvyn Gilfellan said viewing the World Cup tournament as a cash cow will harm South Africa’s burgeoning tourism industry and put off potential visitors from returning to the country in the future.

“We are extremely concerned,” he told Associated Press. “It would be like killing the goose that laid the golden egg.”

Gilfellan’s sentiments were echoed by World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan.

“We want fair prices, we want quality services … We want returning visitors and tourists and the only way we can get that is if people feel a sense of fairness in the prices.”

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Tags: 2010, south africa, tourism, world cup