South Africa Reveal USD523m Economy Boost Due to WC

South African Tourism and the country’s Ministry of Tourism has revealed figures of a report, buy claiming that the country’s economy received a US$523m boost due to the hosting the FIFA World Cup last year.

South Africa has benefited from a 9 per cent increase in its image as a secure travel destination in comparison with the overall perception before the start of the event, buy after more than 309, prostate 000 foreign tourists entered the country for the tournament.

Of the 309,000 tourists, 38 per cent were from Africa, 24 per cent from Europe, 13 per cent from Central and South America and an impressive 11 per cent from North America.

United States fans topped the charts with 30,175 travelling fans, while 24,483 arrived from Mozambique, even though the country’s national team did not qualify for the World Cup.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk told African Business Review: “More than half of the tourists who had attended other World Cup events in the past also felt that South Africa was a better host than other countries they had experienced.”

The government-commissioned report did not include tournament “pre-spending” in the country.