Cape Town - Initial surveys and research show that Cape Town restaurants, informal traders, hotels and shopping malls are experiencing better than usual business over the winter period, as foreign football fans are flocking to the city for the biggest soccer tourney.

Overall, the business activity in Cape Town seems to have picked up since the arrival of the first team in the country, said Mansoor Mohamed, Executive Director: Economic and Social Development and Tourism for the City of Cape Town. 

"The V&A Waterfront shopping mall has seen a record increase in the amount of visitors in the first week of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Suburban shopping malls in Cape Town like Cavendish, Century City and Tygervalley have also seen a spike in sales. The restaurants in Cape Town are also doing better than expected trade, with some even beating their actual Christmas figures."

Most of the Municipal Markets in Cape Town, for example Greenmarket Square, the Grand Parade, Green Point and Mitchells Plain, have seen a significant boost in trading activity since the start of the World Cup ten days ago. 

"Informal traders have been well prepared by the City of Cape Town's economic unit to take advantage of the World Cup visitor numbers," Mohamed said.

Initial surveys are showing that the accommodation numbers for Cape Town thus far are generally lower than expected, except for budget accommodation, which is looking promising. 

Although the more expensive hotels in Cape Town are experiencing lower than expected occupancy (under 20% to 40%), it is still a bumper season compared to last year, said Mohamed. 

The city is expecting higher accommodation numbers towards the end of the World Cup, as people come down from Johannesburg to enjoy the last part of their South African holiday in Cape Town. 

"Cape Town has won the 'Oscars' of the Travel Industry (World Travel Awards) as the leading tourism destination on the African continent for two consecutive years in a row. 

More recently, it won the prestigious award of being the best destination worldwide for Responsible Tourism (2009 Virgin Responsible Tourism Awards). 

"These awards are the culmination of strategic partnerships between the city, its tourism agencies and the tourism industry. 

"This is why Cape Town has been a destination of choice for many of the international visitors in the country for the World Cup and we expect an increase in the number of international visitors as the tournament progresses," Mohamed added.

Even though less people than expected seem to be coming to Cape Town during the tournament, early economic research suggests that tourists are staying for longer periods and are spending more. A recent Grant Thornton Study on the economic impact of the World Cup supports these findings. 

"If visitor numbers are down 20% from our initial estimates, but those who do come spend 20% more and stay three days longer than originally anticipated, we will see an increase of nearly 40% in the expected economic impact that the tournament will have, which is very encouraging," said Mohamed. 

Mohamed emphasised that these findings are only based on initial surveys and that the true economic impact of the World Cup will only be established by comprehensive research following the end of the tournament. 

He is, however, confident that Cape Town will benefit from the World Cup in the next few decades to come. 

"The World Cup is the single most important event for South Africa and the African continent in recent time. It is positively changing the world's perceptions about Africa. 

"The socio-economic benefits of the World Cup will be felt for a very long time and it is therefore important that government and businesses develop strategic partnerships to reap the benefits of this tournament over the next 20 years."

 Source: BuaNews

Cape Town - Portugal today blasted North Korea out of the World Cup with a 7-nil drubbing, notching up one of the biggest whitewashes in the history of the competition.

Portugal's win tops the 4-nil triumph by Germany over Australia last week and is also one of the biggest whitewashes since the 1974 match in West Germany, when Yugoslavia beat Zaire 9-nil at Park Stadium, Gelsenkirchen - an all time record for the highest goal difference in a World Cup match.

North Korea started well in the first half, making several dashes at the goals, and looked a very different side to the one that faced Brazil last Tuesday, when the Asian team clung tightly to a defensive strategy.

The Chollimas missed several chances at goal and ended the first half 1-nil down, with Portugal's Raul Meireles opening the scoring in the 29th minute. 

But it was in the second half that the Iberian team let loose, sending cheering fans into a ballistic stupor as they swept past the North Koreans in a goal frenzy which saw them netting three goals in just 10 minutes.

First was Simao, who slipped the ball past North Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk in the 53rd minute.

Three minutes later Hugo Almeida headed the ball in to take the score to 3-nil and when fans were barely recovering from screaming their lungs out - Tiago, seven minutes later, added his name to the Iberian team's scoring log by knocking a goal in too.

The action didn't stop there, when Liedson scored off a pass from Duda in the closing minutes of the game, with the world's most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo taking it to 6-0.

Two minutes later Tiago took the final score to 7-nil in the 89th minute.

Despite hundreds of open seats at the start of today's match, the game proved to be one of the loudest in Cape Town so far, with fans answering one another at opposite ends of the stadium with rhythmic vuvuzela blasts.

"It's historical because it's such a huge score," said an excited Portuguese fan, Brito Ferreira from Lisbon.

Ferreira said he was pleasantly "astonished" about Cape Town because it shared a similar climate to that of Portugal. 

Man of the match, Ronaldo, thanked the fans and commented that his goal was "funny", but added "I'm happy, a goal is a goal".

Portugal's last encounter with North Korea took place in 1966 in Liverpool and it was a very different match when the Iberians had to claw their way back from being three-nil down to beat the Asian team 5-3.

North Korea's coach Kim Jong Hun said the team would have to rethink its strategy in the final group game against the Ivory Coast.

"As a coach I think it was my fault for not playing the right strategy, that's why we conceded so many goals," he said. 

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz commended the clean way the North Koreans played today and said his colleague should not be deterred "as these things happen". 

"I hope that North Korea can at least score one point in this tournament, with their performance so far," said Queiroz.

 Source: BuaNews