Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, today announced the start of the ‘smile the world's welcome starts with you' campaign. This campaign is in celebration of the recent 5th anniversary of the official announcement that South Africa would be hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, following in the same spirit of South African tourisms' Soccer World Cup marketing campaign.
“The ‘smile' campaign is Gauteng Provincial Government's way of preparing ‘the people of Gauteng' to welcome the world in 2010 in a way that captures the essence of who we are and in so doing ensuring that Gauteng leaves behind a solid legacy, post 2010,” says the MEC of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Nelisiwe Mbatha-Mtimkhulu.
“Germany's legacy for the Soccer World Cup was ‘infrastructure', China's legacy was ‘clean air' Gauteng's Legacy will be ‘her people' and the spirit of the Gauteng province, adds Mbatha-Mtimkhulu.
The ‘smile' campaign, which forms part of the ‘engagement' phase of the Gauteng Provincial Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation's 2010 marketing plan is aimed at getting citizens of Gauteng to join in and participate in the excitement leading up to 2010, hence ensuring that the province is ready to put the best foot forward and welcome visitors in the true ‘friendly' Gauteng way. The ‘experience' and the ‘legacy', the second and third phase of the campaign, will be rolled out during and post 2010.
“We need to ensure that as a nation, but specifically as a province that we are prepared to welcome the world and showcase what makes us proud ‘our people' and the ‘spirit of our people'. We want the world smiling to not only an African rhythm, but to a ‘jubilated' Gauteng rhythm, when the Confederation Cup 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup arrives in our continent,” Mbatha-Mtimkhulu concludes.
For more information contact:
Nomazwe Ntlokwana
Cell: 083 507 8068
Tel: 011 355 2598
E-mail: nomazwen@gpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng Provincial Government
26 May 2009
Source: Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.srac.gpg.gov.za/)
