Garden Route gears up for 2010

GARDEN Route towns are preparing for a large influx of foreign tourists during the World Cup.

Their optimism is anchored in the knowledge that three international teams have secured luxury Garden Route resorts in George and Knysna as their base camps for the event, with the possibility that a fourth might still choose Mossel Bay.

Knysna will play host to the French team at Pezula and the Danish team at Simola golf estates, while the Japanese team has booked the Fancourt estate in George.

Mossel Bay is still hoping that Paraguay, or another team, will choose the town as its base. Paraguay initially expressed an interest in Mossel Bay, but then backtracked, saying the practice pitch being prepared for them was not up to scratch.

Mossel Bay spokesman Harry Hill says they have not given up hope on Paraguay, and if that does not work out, possibly another team will choose the coastal town.

“We are aware that a number of teams have not yet chosen their base camps and have until the end of January to decide. We are going all out to get a team because Mossel Bay has a lot to offer and the town will benefit tremendously. The training pitch issue will be sorted out in time.”

Meanwhile, Knysna and George have started preparing for the big event. Both towns have set up organising committees and sub-committees to deal with the multitude of aspects associated with successfully accommodating, feeding, transporting and looking after the foreign visitors.

Knysna Mayor Eleanor Bouw-Spies says her town’s committee has held meetings with the French Consul and cultural organisation Alliance Francaise and both will provide French language teachers for the hospitality and service industries.

“They are also compiling a booklet with basic French terms and English translations. We are committed to making our visitors feel at home.” The same effort would be made to accommodate the Danes.

Knysna’s preparation of the training pitches for the two international teams is on schedule and facilities like cloakrooms at Loerie Park, the French team’s training ground, are being upgraded.

Consideration is being given to incorporating French and Danish aspects into the Knysna Oyster Festival, which will coincide with the World Cup.

In George, municipal official and organising committee member Andre Smith is in charge of arrangements to host the Japanese team and the running of the only official World Cup public viewing area (PVA) in the Southern Cape, at Pacaltsdorp.

Steyn says George is hoping to attract between 10000 and 15000 visitors from Japan alone. Work is well under way to upgrade the pitches at Outeniqua Park as a training facility for the Japanese team, and huge efforts will be put into “creating a World Cup vibe” in the town.

This will include putting up the flags of the competing nations, billboards and even massive soccer balls in the town centre. Language and cultural issues are being given priority, with lessons on offer to enable service industry workers to at least greet guests in Japanese and observe certain customs considered polite.

Information kiosks will be put up at a number of sites in George, staffed by people proficient in Japanese, Danish, French and Spanish, to assist visitors.

Both Knysna and George have promised their taxi industries the opportunity to be of service during the World Cup, and Garden Route tourism operators are hoping to cash in.

Both towns are confident that careful management of water will ensure that its scarcity does not become a major issue for the World Cup.

Disaster preparedness has also had considerable attention.

Eden District Council disaster management head Gerhard Otto says preparation for 2010 began 18 months ago and includes the setting up of a disaster centre and a joint operations centre. Newly trained firefighters will be employed by the various Garden Route municipalities, and the police will co-operate with other emergency services personnel to ensure a unified, efficient service to tourists.

Otto has asked that some emergency staff be trained in the languages of the teams based in the region.

Source: Weekend Post (http://www.weekendpost.co.za/article.aspx?id=522667)