South African tourism has bright future

Lebohang Mokhesi, UK country manager for South Africa Tourism, said the 'unparalleled success' of this year's Fifa World Cup will play a strong part in attracting more visitors to the nation.

She said that the event had positive effects on three fronts: infrastructure development, international perceptions of South Africa and national pride.

Ms Mokhesi pointed out that the World Cup has left a legacy that will allow visitors to explore beyond the country's major cities.

'The World Cup opened up the whole country to tourism opportunities,' she said.

'First-time visitors will continue to be keen to visit key tourism hubs such as Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, but improved road and rail infrastructure will, we hope, encourage people to travel out from these hubs and discover a little piece of the country that they can call their own.'