International experts speaking at the Sport and Recreation South Africa and Department of Tourism funded International Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega-events in Johannesburg gave valuable advice on ensuring mega-event legacy and sustainability in South Africa.
The event, which was attended by more than twenty tourism ministers from across the globe, was opened by South Africa President, Jacob Zuma.
Zuma mentioned in his speech the important role tourism played in the South African economy, and expressed the hope that tourism’s role in job creation would grow, since it is seen as.
Many speakers praised South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but cautioned that the true success of the event will lie in how well the event is organised and executed.
“Everything stands or falls by what the event’s reputation is at the end,” one speaker said.
While some speakers gave insights into the economic benefits of the event, many spoke of the importance of ensuring that ordinary citizens were included and felt that they benefited from the event. This will ensure a legacy of the event, and help create an image of a successful event.
The contents of the summit held many important lessons for South Africa’s future bidding and hosting of mega-events, and confirmed that the country has tremendous potential to be a world class sport tourism destination.
Presentations made at the summit can be downloaded from http://www.tourism.gov.za/.
Issued by: Sport and Recreation South Africa
1 March 2010
Source: Sport and Recreation South Africa (http://www.srsa.gov.za/)
