Beware of fakes

(CNN) -- FIFA is warning soccer fans to beware of fraudulent online ticket sales for the 2010 World Cup as it works with international agencies to address the problem.
Moses Mabhida Stadium under construction in Durban, South Africa; one of 10 stadiums that will host World Cup.

"Many unauthorized operators are exploiting ... unsuspecting fans across the world into purchasing illegitimate or unauthorized tickets and/or ticket-inclusive travel packages," soccer's global governing agency said in a statement.

Official tickets will be printed only a few weeks before the tournament kicks off, the statement said.

The agency applauded efforts by British authorities to shut down Web sites selling fraudulent tickets. Efforts are under way to implement more crackdowns worldwide.

"We simply cannot accept that true fans are being cheated in this way," said Jerome Valcke, FIFA secretary general.

One way of ensuring legitimate sales is buying tickets from FIFA's Web site or through its partner, MATCH, the agency said.

World Cup already selling out!!

Thomson Sport has sold out of some packages for the World Cup in South Africa next year after England qualified for the tournament last week.

About 100,000 fans are expected to travel to South Africa in June, with many likely to book packages because of the large distances and costs involved.

Thomson Sport managing director Nathan Wilson said the operator had sold out of packages, which take in the full event, and only a few are left for the final-only package. For the group matches, 25% of packages have been sold following England's victory against Croatia.

Wilson said: "We received 1,000 emails the morning after the qualifier. We are preparing to release our short-break packages and are expecting a good uptake based on the number of enquiries."

FIFA has warned fans to avoid travel companies that are offering tickets and tour packages that are not FIFA appointed. Operators selling official packages include Thomas Cook Sport, Thomson Sport, Keith Prowse Hospitality and BAC Sport.

Agents have also seen some interest from fans looking to travel to South Africa independently. Large numbers of fans are expected to travel without tickets, hoping to buy them there.

Luxury tailor-made specialist Bailey Robinson product manager Alex Walters said: "One couple booked four nights in Londolozi Game Reserve and a week at the Four Seasons Seychelles. They plan was to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and to fit in a match at the World Cup."

However, he said some consumers would be holding off until the draw for the group stages. "We haven't had much interest because fans do not know where the teams are playing until December 4. Otherwise they might be buying hotel rooms in the wrong city and tickets for the wrong matches."

Shropshire-based The Travel Wallet director Maggie Rogers said: "We always put sports events on our website, but we haven't had any World Cup enquiries yet."

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Is Cape Town Going To Be To Pricey?

In a response to recent UK media reports, which have suggested that South Africa is out-pricing itself ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cape Town Tourism says that runaway statements about prohibitive prices are being based on a skewed perspective of the broader tourism offering.

“Like many other top world cities, Cape Town does have some high end luxury products like private, serviced villas located in exclusive areas and on the edge of the ocean and these properties do appeal to the prestige visitor at the top end of the market. On the whole, Cape Town’s pricing strategy is well balanced for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” insists Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold. “The majority of the local industry is responsible operators that realize a value-for-money return on any holiday investment is essential to ensuring that the destination is not labelled ‘greedy’ now or after the event.”

Cape Town has played host to many major events, like the recent IPL and Lion’s Tour, and the industry prides itself in offering visitors exceptional service and authentic experiences at good value for money rates.

For the most part, accommodation establishments in Cape Town are posting rates for the 2010 FIFA World Cup that is equivalent to their peak season rates. A good indication of the public’s favourable response to this is that many of them are already fully booked. Average costs for a night in a centrally located guest house are forecast at an average of R 500 – 800 (£40- £64.10), whilst an award-winning four star city hotel is charging on average R1900 – R2 400 (£152.24 –£192.30) per night for a room. Renowned five-star waterside hotels are asking in the region of R 5000 per person per night, sharing (£400). A variety of serviced self-catering apartments and cottages are also available at rates that average from R200 – R500 per person per night (£18 – £40). Cape Town Tourism also recommends unique community based accommodation experiences that range on average between R200 – R600 per person per night sharing (£18 – £45). Day trips and excursions range on average between R120 (£18) for a City Sightseeing Bus Ticket, valid for two days, and R400 per person for a full day tour (£32) like a wine or cultural tour. Cape Town offers some of the best food and wine experiences in the world and three course meal prices in an upmarket restaurant will range from R250 – R550 (£20 – £45) with a good bottle of wine priced at an average of R120 – R300 (£9 – £24).

Cape Town has an excellent accommodation capacity, but allowance where appropriate has been made for temporary accommodation, with particular reference to the budget sector, which could be an area of short-fall in Cape Town. An August 2008 survey commissioned revealed that Cape Town will have ample bed capacity for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Cape Town’s accommodation capacity (including accredited and approved temporary accommodation stock) currently stands at 56 000 beds and an estimated total number of 70 000 beds should be on line by June 2010 in the greater Cape Town area. Furthermore, Cape Town is in close proximity to regions like Winelands, Overberg and Garden route with good capacity as well.

“Cape Town Tourism is working hand in hand with MATCH and FIFA to encourage as many establishments as possible to contract with MATCH, but we understand too that the decision to sign up to MATCH is a business decision that each individual tourism business must make, weighing up their unique situation, requirements and suitability. Many accommodation establishments either do not fit the MATCH profile or do not wish to sell their accommodation through MATCH due to business reasons of their own”, says du Toit-Helmbold.
Much of the hotel chain stock in Cape Town has been absorbed by MATCH who required that rates were no more than 16% higher than those charged in the summer of 2007.

Sean Kritzinger, Managing Director of Cape Town’s Gilt Edge Travel www.gilt-edge.com feels that the market has remained fair in the face of temptation. “We have already sold over 50% of our packages and we have encountered very reasonable attitudes from the industry as a whole.”

Du Toit-Helmbold also alluded to problems with those sectors of the industry that were not accredited or endorsed by any of the official tourism organisations. She urges visitors to check the legal status of establishments and service providers before they book and suggests that visitors enquire with Cape Town Tourism to avoid disappointment. “Other than urging caution and the use of good common sense, Cape Town Tourism has no control over the quality of establishment or prices charged by people renting out their private homes. Visitors wanting to ensure that they get what they pay for should go through a recognized organization or reputable agent.”

Cape Town Tourism’s Du Toit-Helmbold says that the tourism body has been consistently firm in its stance on pricing and has embarked on an industry awareness campaign around responsible pricing and practice in the run up to the World Cup. “We have taken heed of the lessons that other destinations have learnt during global events in the past, and we have communicated these messages to our membership and the tourism sector as a whole.”

Cape Town, prior to 2010 FIFA World Cup, is an immensely popular tourism destination; voted by The UK Telegraph as their readers’ favourite holiday destination in 2009. “We are intent on using the great marketing opportunity that the 2010 FIFA World Cup affords us, to showcase the destination as a place to which you want to return. High prices and a lack of good service will not reflect well on us and we are focusing all our energy on ensuring that not only our infrastructure but also our mindset is on target and ready to welcome the world”, comments Du Toit-Helmbold.

Fans wishing to attend the 2010 FIFA World Cup on a budget that works for them are advised to contact ATN for suggestions on accommodation, transfers, car hire and tours. www.africatravelnetwork.net

New Cape Town Stadium Pictures

Pictures taken 13/09/2009

Both are taken from what will be the walk way into the stadium and show where the ticket booths will be.

World Cup Beds

Just Released!

We have 50 Self Catering Apartments (serviced) in Cape Town and 20 hotel rooms in Rustenberg for the 2010 Soccer World Cup (June and July 2010)

We also have 100+ rooms available in Randburg and Sandton for 2010 World Cup
Ideal for media or other groups!

If you are interested please contact:

Simon
info@africatravelnetwork.net
www.africatravelnetwork.net

Oktoberfest in Cape Town

Capetonians can once again experience Germany’s best-known beer festival, “Oktoberfest”, from 16 October to 1 November 2009 at Paulaner Bräuhaus in the V&A Waterfront. Beer lovers, families, young and old gather to enjoy the true taste and hospitality of Bavaria.

The festival follows the annual Oktoberfest in Munich which takes place from 19 September to 04 October. Oktoberfest started in Munich in 1810, when the citizens turned out to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. It has since grown into what is claimed to be the world’s largest festival attracting over six million people each year.

In keeping with tradition, Paulaner brewmaster, Wolfgang Ködel, will brew a special Oktoberfest beer which will be available once the festival has been officially opened. The festival opening takes place on the evening of Friday, 16 October 2009 when the first barrel of Oktoberfest beer is opened with the words “O’zapft is”.

The Oktoberfest beer is brewed according to an old recipe resulting in a dark amber-coloured beer, smooth in taste. To compliment the beer, Paulaner boasts traditional hearty Bavarian cuisine such as Pretzel, Bratwurst and their specialty, crispy Pork Knuckle.

A Bavarian Oktoberfest band will entertain the crowd with live ‘Umpah’ music periodically during the festival, and live contemporary bands play nightly.

The festival, also known as Wies’n, is popular in Cape Town both among locals and visitors, drawing crowds to the Paulaner Bräuhaus and its beer garden opposite the Nelson Mandela Gateway and V&A Clock Tower.

For more information visit http://paulaner-braeuhaus.com/capetown.

World Cup Volunteer Applications Now Closed

The process was launched on 20 July 2009 and by 11:30am (0930GMT), 31 August 2009, the total number of volunteer registration stood at 63,662 from nearly 170 different countries and regions.

2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee South Africa CEO Danny Jordaan said the tremendous response to the volunteer application process was indicative of the excitement which now surrounded the tournament.

"People are starting to become excited about the World Cup and about traveling to South Africa next year. We are very happy about the number of applications that have poured in from all four corners of the world," he said.

At the start of September the Organizing Committee will begin the volunteer screening process and then in December the volunteer interview process begins.

Volunteers in the 10 host cities will be interviewed simultaneously while international volunteers will be interviewed by teleconferencing. Once selected South African-based volunteers will receive training in May 2010.

Marathon World Cup Trips

Fans could face 17-hour round trips to see one match at the World Cup next year under a plan aimed at overcoming accommodation problems while combining soccer with safari and beach holidays.

Ironically, the longest journeys may be reserved for the richest fans.

Soccer's ruling body FIFA has identified accommodation as one of the major challenges before the tournament kicks off in South Africa next June.

Although officials from organizing committee boss Danny Jordaan down say the accommodation problem will be fixed -- currently there is a shortfall of 15,000 rooms -- hotel space is under heavy pressure in some places.

Prices for hotels and guest houses in the smaller venues have already rocketed by up to five times normal rates for the month-long World Cup starting on June 11.
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MATCH Services, the travel agent appointed by FIFA, has told some big news organizations that the nearest official hotel available is up to 60 km from the stadium in at least one venue because other places have been taken by preferred clients such as teams, officials, sponsors and media partners.

MATCH says the main object of the accommodation scheme is to give fans the option of early secured bookings and flexibility to switch locations after the draw in December, as well as the chance to enjoy time on safari or at the beach between games.

However, shortages of accommodation are also clearly a significant reason for the plan, under which so-called MATCH Villes will be located in areas of South Africa with more stocks of hotel rooms as well as in Mauritius, a four-hour flight from Johannesburg.

Tourists using the scheme will be required to arrive between four and seven hours before a game and will be held in the stadium for two or more hours after the final whistle.

LUXURY HOLIDAY

Mauritius, a luxury destination in the Indian Ocean off Africa's east coast, will have 3,200 rooms available for clients of the MATCH Ville program.

In total, MATCH expects to sell more than 21,000 rooms in the scheme's centers, from where fans will be flown to matches in smaller venues.