I do hope that this question is also of some interest to a number of other South African Hunting Outfitters. But I'll ask as if it is only for myself.

By way of introduction: I run a small Hunting Outfitting business, am not a soccer fan and until recently I knew only the year of the event. Now I also know the dates: From 11 June to 11 July 2010! It gives us all 365 days to plan how to live with this event. But I do not know how this event is likely to impact on my business or my clients.

"If you don’t know for sure, then ask!" This was one of my mother’s favorite sayings. Now I don’t know for sure how the events around the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament in June & July [a choice hunting period] 2010 will affect me and my little Hunting Outfitting business. This realization came while I was replying to an enquiry received from a potential client: I simply cannot really say how this, for South Africa, major event is likely to affect me when planning a safari for my clients. How will the FIFA event affect the bigger [and better?] Hunting Outfitting firms?

The actual in the field hunting part is easy: There will be almost no effect! But what about f I also offer to also help clients plan a pre- or post- hunting period sightseeing tour? How else may I be affected? I don't know for sure and therefore want to ask in this general forum to get guidance from the combined wisdom of the members. Some questions that I wish to put into the discussion brew are:

Accommodation in National Parks and Hotels and B&B’s: How will the FIFA event affect availability of accommodation in, for example, the Kruger National Park?

Flight availability: How do you think international flight tickets availability will be affected? Can one with some confidence plan a hunt on dates suited for moon phase, rutting time and such considerations, and then be confident that you will get flight tickets suitable for those dates? Which travel periods should one avoid: Those at the beginning of the tournament when there are many teams playing? Or those near the end when there are many fans for the finals?

Positive spin-off: Is there any hope of getting client bookings from amongst the fans visiting South Africa primarily for the FIFA event? How do I get exposure for my business to these potential clients?

Be glad to hear your suggestions and opinions about these aspects.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren
http://www.mclarensafaris.com

Andrew,
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this and my freind in RSA was looking into the possibility of us getting tickets to the event and doing some hunting.

Logistically this will be a bigger than acverage influx of people to the country soe flights, car hire, accomodation and all the other stuff in that touristy sphere will be more expensive and harder to come by.

Especially places like the Kruger and other private reserves they will be booked out way in advance. We also spoke of hunting lodges making the accomodation available to agents for the football to house their clients. These would not be hunting.

I personally think on the positive side, any hunter comiongt o watch the ganes will think about possibly booking a couple of days to pass the time between events. The flip side is that the gear usually associated and travelling with firearms for the odd day may bemore hassel than it is worth.

I'm currently considering what might be a good idea for my self andf I'm starting to think that if I want to go hunting then I should forget about the football. As such I'm thinking of going for the weeks after the games.

I hope you find a way to make this work for you.

Rgds,
FB

I read somewhere that FIFA is trying to book hotels well in advance for thsi event, as far away as Vic Falls!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I read somewhere that FIFA is trying to book hotels well in advance for thsi event, as far away as Vic Falls!

Saeed

Yes, it is true. Some locals that I have spoken to also says it without any payment or guarentee!

quote:

Originally posted by Bahati:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I read somewhere that FIFA is trying to book hotels well in advance for thsi event, as far away as Vic Falls!

Saeed

Yes, it is true. Some locals that I have spoken to also says it without any payment or guarentee!

Apparently those in Vic Falls are telling FIFA to take a hike if there is no payment guarantees.

Good luck to them.

Saeed

Those stupid authorities in Zim's are fools to themselves, they wanted to FLEECE the visitors big time and it seems they have shot themselves in the foot !!

Cheers, Peter
----------------------------------

Zimbabwe: High Hotel Rates Scare Away Fifa
Isdore Guvamombe - 3 June 2009

Harare — SPIRITED efforts to cash in on the 2010 World Cup soccer fiesta have hit a brick wall after Fifa representatives abandoned Zimbabwean hotels for allegedly charging exorbitant rates of up to US$3 000 per night.

The tournament's official accommodation company, Match Events Services, has turned its back on the Zimbabwean hotels and instead signed an agreement with Botswana after local hoteliers refused to append their signatures on its pricing regime.

A team from Match Events, led by Ms Vivian Voets, was in the country last week and offered hotels, twice the current room rate plus 16 percent.

That would leave most five-star hotels at around US$500 per night but hoteliers, especially in Victoria Falls, rejected the offer, demanding between US$1 000 and US$3 000 per night.

Yesterday Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke said the hotels' actions were tantamount to "sabotaging the inclusive Government".

He said he was shocked by "this level of greed".

"This is the greatest mistake of our time. We have lost out due to greed. Match Event was here last week to endorse us as official accommodation providers but they turned their back on us after the hotel industry demanded to charge at least US$1 000 and others even demanding $3 000 per night from soccer tourists.

"This is ridiculous. Yes, I mean up to US$3 000! This is purely subversion influenced by a desire to sabotage the economy and the inclusive Government.

"The industry is naïve. We do not have a contract with Match Event and therefore we are not going to host the Fifa family. The endorser was Match Event; it has now endorsed Botswana who have agreed to the same hotel charges that we are rejecting. Even the Saxon Hotel in South Africa, that has seven stars, does not charge that."

There seems to be a lot of hopeful people out there thinking they're gonna make a fortune out of the world cup, but I can't help but think most are gonna be sadly disappointed.

DSTV here is full of ads for Angola tourism....... sure, it looks great but I really can't see many people coming to SA to watch the soccer and then gallivanting off to Angola for a few days.

FWIW, they're building a stadium close to me in Nelspruit but from what I hear from local hoteliers, bookings for that period are nowhere near what they'd hoped for. I don't follow football at all and I don't even know if they've announced the fixtures and if they haven't, maybe bookings will pick up when they do announce them......

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

DSTV here is full of ads for Angola tourism....... sure, it looks great but I really can't see many people coming to SA to watch the soccer and then gallivanting off to Angola for a few days.

When I was in Namibia in last month, my PH was saying that there were people in the tourism industry there convinced that the World Cup was going to bring boatloads of people to northern Namibia. I can't see it.

Greed is a terrible thing. Most problems stem from selfishness, envy or greed, and greed seems to be leading at the moment!