Friday June 12 marked the the first day of the one year-countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
It was also the day on which Cape Town and the Western Cape's 2010-focused tourism marketing campaign, Beyond the 90 Minutes, gathered extra momentum.
The campaign went online with energetic YouTube clips of international soccer fans experiencing travel itineraries tailor-made for soccer visitors.
The videos
Beyond the 90 Minutes is a one-year campaign Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU), has been driving since May.
The organisation - Cape Town and the Western Cape's official tourism destination marketing organisation - has packaged the city and province's varied and abundant tourism experiences into six themed travel itineraries that soccer visitors and those who love to travel, can enjoy before and after matches. CTRU is promoting these to tour operators worldwide, potential travellers and the local market.
With the economic slowdown it has become essential for destinations to package and present their tourism experiences in an affordable, all-in-one, no-fuss way, says Itumeleng Pooe, campaign organiser and Executive Manager: International & Domestic Marketing at CTRU.
"To celebrate the start of the 365 days-countdown, we've bundled a couple of bubbly South American and European soccer fans into a car and took them on a road trip through parts of Cape Town and the Western Cape. We gave them a taste of the destination, and invited them to become part of our campaign's fan ambassadors and talk about their experiences back in their home countries."
Beyond the 90 Minutes Fan Ambassadors - soccer fanatics from across the campaign's target markets who have already experienced some of the special 2010 itineraries - will tell their stories in their home languages through videos on YouTube, blog entries and to the media.
To create a local vibe and encourage residents of Cape Town and the Western Cape to join in and kick up a fuss about probably the most beautiful travel destination in the world, Beyond the 90 Minutes representatives handed out information and give-aways to motorists at Cape Town traffic intersections.