Nov

WORLD CUP TICKETS, TRANSPORT AND ACCOMMODATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

The 64 match festival takes place between the 11th of June and 11th of July 2010, across 10 different venues in South Africa. To successfully cope with an event of this magnitude, the hosting country requires a sophisticated infrastructure of accommodation, transportation, communication, stadiums, technology, security, and countless other facilities and support systems. Well before the announcement of South Africa as the 2010 World Cup venue, the country’s preparations began. South Africa has spent billions on its airport upgrades, road and transportation network, Gautrain project, and building of world-class stadiums, to name but a few of the larger projects. With an expected 500,000 World Cup visitors, not to mention 19,000 members of the international press, transportation is a vital issue. Besides the new high-speed Gautrain service between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton, taxi, bus and rail drop-off and pick-up points will enable 23,380 passengers per hour to move between stadiums and the city. 250 Luxury coaches, dedicated to the World Cup will offer long-distance links to the venues. Television data from around the globe during the 2006 World Cup Finals confirmed that it is the most popular event in the world, with over 715 million people watching the final between France and Italy, while a cumulative total of 26. 29 billion watched the tournament. A complex ticketing system, with 5 distinct phases, aims to ensure that tickets are available to football fans worldwide. Ticket sales commenced on the 20th February 2009 and terminate on the 11th July 2010. Tickets can be applied for online at the official Fifa website or SA residents can apply for tickets in person at First National Bank (FNB) branches countrywide. The 5 ticketing phases are outlined below: Phase 1: 20 Feb 2009 to 31 Mar 2009: Random selection draw Phase 2: 04 May 2009 to 16 Nov 2009: First-come-first-serve sales Phase 3: 05 Dec 2009 to 22 Jan 2010: Random selection draw Phase 4: 09 Feb 2010 to 07 Apr 2010: First-come-first-serve sales Phase 5: 15 Apr 2010 to 11 July 2010: Last minute sales Soccer City, the largest stadium situated in Johannesburg, with a capacity of 88,000 people, is the venue for the Opening Match as well as the Final. The pricing of these tickets depends on the category chosen, with Category 1 tickets for the Opening Match costing in the region of R3,150, and R6,300 for the Final. Maps of the country and the stadiums are available on the official website, and are an essential part of the planning process. Road distances between many of the venues are vast, as can be seen from the following table: Distance from Johannesburg to … Cape Town 1473 km (915 miles) Port Elizabeth 1066 km (662 miles) Durban 587 km (364 miles) Bloemfontein 443 km (275 miles) Nelspruit 353 km (219 miles) Polokwane 337 km (209 miles) Rustenburg 112 km (70 miles) Pretoria 57 km (35 miles) Accommodation during the World Cup period is obviously at a premium, and many visitors, especially those who obtained their tickets on the internet in random selection draws, may be confused about the logistics of the country and the location of the stadiums. They need to ensure that their accommodation is close enough to their match venue, that transport is available, and that they’ve allowed for the inevitable flight and traffic delays that are part and parcel of an international event of this magnitude. Contact info@safarilodgegetaways. com with your request, and we will assist you wherever possible. What is more, several private Safari Lodges on the www. safarilodgegetaways. com website (conveniently located for matches at Pretoria, Rustenburg and Polokwane) still have accommodation available, as well as Safari Lodges in the Greater Kruger Park (located close to Nelspruit). Some of these lodges have not increased their prices over the World Cup period, and it is possible to have a supremely affordable “Big Five” safari experience AND get to your football match!