Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As the World Cup reaches its halfway point, Cape Town Tourism has issued a positive report on the tourism impact of the tournament, describing the event as "an essential and long-overdue turning point in the world's perception of Africa."
The city's tourism authorities point to positive media coverage of the matches and the destination, and the reversal in tone of many media commentators, as evidence that the World Cup has been the greatest marketing success story it has ever had.
International arrivals to Cape Town have risen by 44 percent compared to June 2009, while hotels have been experiencing occupancy of over 70 percent during the tournament, up 20 percent from last year, according to official figures.
Cape Town Tourism projects that if just 0.5 percent of the three billion people estimated to be watching the World Cup choose to visit the city in the next five years, international arrivals will soar by a further three million visitors every year.
It now intends to use the positive media coverage and rich imagery to promote the city with the aim of doubling the much-needed economic impact of tourism by 2020.
“Our focus has never been on the short-term benefits of hosting this event, but rather on maximizing the long-term benefits and changing the opinion the world has of us, converting soccer fans into fans of Cape Town," explained Cape Town Tourism's Mariette du Toit-Helmbold.
A spokesperson for Cape Town International Airport said that because the World Cup has brought thousands of visitors in during winter, international carriers may soon end seasonal schedules to the town, instead choosing to fly year-round.
Last week, Visa reported that the World Cup had provided a 345 million rand (€36.95 million) boost to South Africa using its cards, a surge in spending of some 54 percent.
Consultancy Grant Thornton predicts that South Africa will earn a total of 8.8 billion rand (€942.6 million) during the World Cup.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments