Economic and Tourism Expectations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup – A Resident Perspective

Abstract

Over the past decade, South Africa has enhanced its reputation as a sports mega-event destination. Such events are perceived by the government and its agencies as an avenue through which to garner economic, employment and tourism benefits, while simultaneously upgrading sporting and transport infrastructure to the benefit of the country's deprived communities. Academics, however, view the perceived benefits of sport mega-events touted by governments sceptically and argue that these are routinely overestimated as a means of justifying the substantial expenditure that arises from the infrastructural requirements of hosting such an event. A quantitative research approach was adopted for this study which sought to explore the perceptions and expectations of ordinary South Africans in relation to the hosting of the World Cup. The research was conducted among 668 respondents in eight of the nine host cities in seven of the country's provinces. Of particular interest are findings indicating that while African respondents were less supportive of those variables with negative connotations, they were also more realistic in terms of anticipated benefits such as job creation or entrepreneurial opportunities. Conversely, white South Africans were most supportive of those variables with negative connotations but also fostered higher expectations in terms of job creation and an increase in tourism. Based on the findings of the research, it can be argued that expectations of those surveyed were that the economic benefits that accrued from the World Cup would bypass those most in need while the gains would be reaped by those sectors of the population who already enjoyed greater economic security.

Keywords:

• Sports Mega-events
• Economic Benefits
• Employment
• Entrepreneurial Opportunity
• Infrastructure Sustainability