Cape Town - As the gees for the much-anticipated Rugby World Cup Sevens kicked into overdrive, the local tourism industry has not been left out of the excitement.
Africa’s first-ever Rugby World Cup 7s is taking place at the DHL Stadium this weekend and Cape Town Tourism has encouraged visitors to lengthen their stay after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cape Town Tourism chief executive, Enver Duminy, said the event provided a much-needed economic boost to the sector.
“The benefits of this prestigious event have already been evident in increased ticket sales, accommodations, and flight bookings after its two-year hiatus.
“These types of events give us the opportunity to showcase Cape Town as a destination to both locals and tourists from around the world.
“We encourage visitors to the Mother City to extend their stay a little longer and explore the offerings of our beautiful city,” he said.
The City said more than 100 000 fans were expected to descend on the DHL Stadium over the three days to watch some of the world’s top men and women’s Sevens Rugby nations battle to be crowned champions.
The eighth edition of the Rugby World Cup 7s tournament is being hosted for the first time in its three-decade history by an African country.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “On behalf of the City of Cape Town, we welcome all the teams and their support staff, and the many thousands of residents and visitors who are making their way here for the tournament.
We are committed to putting on a world class event for locals and visitors to enjoy in our beautiful City and will be activating the fan walk as well as a free MyCiti shuttle service for ticket holders as part of our park and ride facilities.
The hosting of world cup tournaments is not only important for boosting the economy and creating employment, but also for uniting residents and people from all walks of life.
I am looking forward to joining the thousands of passionate fans to sing and cheer for their teams”.
Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger said: “Big events like these and the economic benefits they bring to the Western Cape are significant.
For example, the Western Cape Convention Bureau, based in our official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency, Wesgro, secured 18 bids during the 2021/22 financial year, with an estimated economic impact of R264 million.”
Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith said the City’s Events Coordinating Committee had spent months making sure everything would run smoothly.
Cape Times