World Rugby has announced that South Africa is their preferred choice to host the IRB 2023 Rugby World Cup. South Africa beat France as well as Ireland, and although an official vote will take place on 15 November, the independent World Rugby’s recommendation – a body comprised of rugby experts, business and commercial analysts – should hold true.
At this point it seems all but a formality. Now, where does this leave South Africa on 16 November, the day after the supposed announcement?
According to Prof Melville Saayman of the research unit TREES (Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society), the country’s gears should already be in motion to produce a stellar tournament.
“Before anything else is said, I think government and especially deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa deserves a lot of praise for the way he led South Africa’s presentation in September. He did a superlative job and again showed why he is held in such high regard,” says Prof Saayman.
“One of the other major factors that swayed opinion in our favour is the remnants of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. We have the magnificent stadiums and we invested so much in housing infrastructure, roads and airports to name only a few. Many people said it was a waste to host the World Cup. It most certainly wasn’t.”
When hosting major events in the past, the country tended to wait too long to get its citizens on board and, according to Prof Saayman, this can’t be the case for 2023.
“If that vote is in our favour we must start generating hype for the event immediately. The Rugby World Cup is coming our way and we should create a fever for it now. It may sound still a long way off, but 2023 is not that far in the future.”
Prominent education about rugby is also a must and here Prof Saayman points to rugby’s cricketing brethren.
“During the 2003 Cricket World Cup a lot of emphasis was placed on educating people about cricket. Catchy tunes and informative advertisements that showed what is a ‘stumping’ or what is a ‘run-out’ helped to make more people experience the tournament. Rugby should be clever and do the same. We need our citizens to fill the stands and bring the atmosphere. The country must be educated about rugby. It is not only good for the sport, but it will be good for us as the host nation as well. We have the opportunity to makes this the best World Cup ever, but we have to start now.”
That’s not to say that the foreign component should be neglected. To the contrary, the tourism sector – and this includes the Department of Tourism – should start focussing on the event.
“We need to ask ourselves what tourists want. Can I watch the game in Durban, go to the beach and see the Big Five while I’m there? Our various tourism platforms should start thinking in this direction. Relevant information must be readily available. We should also not shy away from the security question. We’ll need to communicate well in advance what safety measures we have in place. This is the reality of the situation.”
In addition to the various communication endeavours, there is information infrastructure that can already be planned and deployed in advance.
“Canada does this extremely well. They have volunteers in airports who are there solely to supply you with any bit of information that you might require. It might sound simple, but these systems should be tried, tested and in place. They take time. The same goes for the production of souvenirs linked to the World Cup.
“From a commercial standpoint we should also look to couple some authentic South African products like Rooibos and biltong to the event. Remember the impact of the vuvuzela at the 2010 Soccer World Cup? Why not think bigger and have products that are coupled to a certain stadium? Think dolphins in Durban for example.”
Prof Saayman concludes by saying that entrepreneurs should be empowered and positioned to make the most of the 2023 event.
“We so often underestimate the very positive effect entrepreneurs have on our economy. Think about what they can do in the countdown to the tournament and during it. We must not allow that opportunity for them to go to waste. We have all the knowledge and experience, let’s not wait to the very last minute to make a success thereof. Few countries are awarded such positive opportunities and even less can make it work like we can.”
Prof Melville Saayman
Telephone number: 082 880 7655 or 018 2991810
Email address: Melville.Saayman@nwu.ac.za
Expert link: https://news.nwu.ac.za/experts/melville-saayman
